Colorado: Pueblo Police Continues the Fight against Illegal Gambling

Government and law enforcement agencies across the United States continuously fight against illegal gambling. The fight involves not only the online but the retail gambling vertical as well.

Every month, thousands of devices are seized in operations against the black market. Money, expensive items as well as drugs and guns are also often seized by police officers during gambling raids across the country.

In the southern Colorado city of Pueblo, law enforcement recently conducted an operation against illegal gambling dens this month. In the aftermath, the Pueblo Police Department’s chief spoke about illegal gambling, revealing that such activities result in a spike in other unlawful actions, including homicide and aggravated assault.

Chris Noeller, the chief of the Pueblo Police Department, who was interviewed by 11 News, said that illegal gambling establishments serve as a hot spot for other criminal activities. “This isn’t just gambling. It’s gambling that is attracting people that are killing people. That are shooting people up… that are doing all kinds of other violent crimes.”

According to the police chief, such illegal establishments are ultimately causing issues for residents of the communities where they are located. Oftentimes people who are living or working in the areas where an illegal gambling venue is located can become victims of violent crimes, Noeller warned.

The police chief spoke about the importance of combatting the illegal gambling sector. In Noeller’s own words: “Addressing those is not something little. It’s a big deal.”

Illegal Gambling Devices and Cash Seized During Recent Raid

In the operation against illegal gambling dens in Pueblo, the Pueblo Police Department executed search warrants on businesses that have been suspected of being involved in illegal gambling. Four locations across the city were raided.

During the raids, 11 people received citations for electronic gambling, gambling premise, engaging in gambling and possession of a gambling device.

Besides citations, the raids resulted in the seizure of a large number of gambling machines. A total of 62 illegal gambling devices were seized by law enforcement. Some $20,000 in cash was also seized during the raids.

According to police, the gambling devices that were seized were similar to the ones that can be found in licensed casinos across Colorado.