CHICKEN BUCKETS: ILLEGAL EIGHT LINERS BRING IN $164,000,000 PER YEAR IN CAMERON COUNTY

Friday, May 6, 2011

ILLEGAL EIGHT LINERS BRING IN $164,000,000 PER YEAR IN CAMERON COUNTY

IS HARLINGEN READY TO BE "OPEN FOR BUSINESS" TO ORGANIZED CRIME?

BEFORE D.A. VILLALOBOS THREW IN THE TOWEL ON ILLEGAL 8-LINERS HE MADE THESE STATEMENTS:

Cameron County District Attorney Villalobos said it is futile for anyone to open illegal eight-liner halls anywhere in the area. He said operators of illegal gambling establishments can’t evade us. They would have to move to Kenedy or Hidalgo counties, but I understand law enforcement in those counties are also pretty active in shutting them down, he said. Villalobos said that in addition to more than 100 eight-liner machines, the DA’s investigators seized three vehicles that were either purchased with proceeds from illegal gambling, used to deliver bribes to police or members of the DA’s office or used as part of the gambling operations. Bribes of as much as $1,000 a week were paid to officers participating in the sting operation, Villalobos said. They wanted to have someone inside the local police departments and in our office to tip them off when we were going to do a raid, Villalobos said.

HERE'S THE MATH:

APPROXIMATELY 9,000 8-LINER MACHINES ARE IN OPERATION IN CAMERON COUNTY (1)

EACH MACHINE GENERATES $50 PER MACHINE PER DAY (CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE)

9000 MACHINES TIMES $50 PER DAY TIMES 365 DAYS EQUALS

$164,250,000 GROSS PROFITS PER YEAR TO THE ORGANIZED CRIME SYNDICATES