01:35 AM CST on Saturday, March 4, 2006

By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA-TV

WFAA-TV

Gamblers said we could find illegal gaming in this office building.

NEWS 8 INVESTIGATES

A News 8 investigation of illegal casinos operating in nearby Hunt County has spawned not only outrage—but tips on where we can find more casinos.

Despite an aggressive approach by local law enforcement agencies, small casinos are operating all over Dallas County.

Our undercover investigation at illegal casinos in Hunt County was made easy by a near-total lack of police presence.

The casinos are wide open; just walk inside and play.

Casinos are also operating inside the Dallas city limits, but they are cleverly disguised.

At first glance, a storefront off Bruton Road in Pleasant Grove appears to be closed for business.

Gamblers enter by ringing a doorbell; they are screened by a hidden video camera.

When we tried to get inside to play, we were turned away. The person who greeted us denied there was gambling going on.

Gamblers told us about another casino just a few blocks away.

We never would have known it was there; all signs point to any empty office space.

Only up close did we notice the tell tale signs: a doorbell and a video camera.

At a nondescript office building, we found the parking lot was full, even though a peek through the window showed no apparent activity inside.

Moments after we left, we videotaped patrons scrambling to their cars to leave.

The main reason these operations have gone so far underground is the Dallas County District Attorney's gaming task force. More than 3,600 illegal video gambling machines have been confiscated since 2001.

"If that type of activity is going on in Dallas County and we become aware of it, we send in undercover investigators with the municipality that requests our assistance," said Assistant District Attorney Tim Gallagher.

There's a Dallas Police Department storefront on the other side of the parking lot where we found the suspected gambling operation in the office building. But officers there told News 8 they were unaware of any illegal activity.

These gaming operations are deliberately hidden from view, difficult to detect, and they cater to those who can least afford it.

"I don't have too much to lose," one gambler told us.

E-mail bshipp@wfaa.com