Oakland Police Raid Alleged Casino, Seize Gaming Machines, Drugs, Rifles

Posted on: July 20, 2021, 09:58h. 

Last updated on: July 21, 2021, 08:05h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The Oakland Police Department (OPD) recently raided an alleged illegal casino operation as part of ongoing crackdowns on illegal gaming in the state. These casinos are tied to other violent activity, police say.

Oakland police casino den illegal gambling
Oakland police raided this car wash recently and discovered illegal gaming machines, drugs, firearms, and cash. Not exactly The Venetian or Bellagio, the alleged casino den is one of several recently raided by police in California. (Image: Google)

This week, Oakland, Ca., police executed a search warrant just three miles north of RingCentral Coliseum, where the MLB Oakland A’s play their home baseball games. 

The raids were conducted after receiving numerous complaints from the community. Upon entry, police recovered 18 illegal, unlicensed gaming machines, six firearms, and two assault rifles, 30 high-capacity magazines, and $21,000 in cash. Police say these operations are also tied to gangs and other dangerous crimes. 

Ties to Violence, Crime

Long dubbed the crime capital of the San Francisco Bay Area, the City of Oakland is notorious for illegal activity. 

NeighborhoodScout, a website that compiles police data to formulate its Crime Risk Ratings, grades Oakland a 1 out of 100 on the index. For every 1,000 residents in Oakland, nearly 79 will be the victim of a crime each year. Thirteen will be the subject of a violent crime, while 66 are victims of property crime.

With those statistics in mind, it should come as little surprise that the recent alleged illegal casino bust was not the first in recent weeks. In fact, Oakland police say it’s the fourth raid of an underground gaming operation this year. 

We’ve shut down at least three illegal gambling operations in and around the same area. We do know that they’re tied to violence, including murders, kidnappings, narcotics trafficking and human trafficking,” Oakland Police Captain James Beere told KTVU. 

Neighbors in the East Oakland neighborhood repeatedly complained to cops that something shady was going on inside the building adjacent to the car wash. One local told KTVU that at night, people would be seen parking their cars near the car wash and then walk inside the building. 

Legal Gaming Options in CA

Bay Area residents don’t have to travel far to find a legal casino with slot machines and table games. Along with card clubs throughout California, tribal casinos with state Class III gaming compacts are legally permitted to offer games traditionally found inside commercial casinos. 

For Oaklanders, one option is the Graton Resort in Casino. The tribal casino is roughly an hour’s drive north in Rohnert Park, just south of Santa Rosa.