More than 30 people were arrested as Toronto police cracked down on 33 illegal gambling operations located in the city’s east side, the CBC reported on October 9.
Police investigators identified and raided 33 suspected illegal gambling operations, shut down three illegal casinos and nine gambling houses, and seized baccarat and mahjong gaming tables, gaming machines, casino chips, and illegal drugs.
Toronto police conducted the raids in Midland, Finch, Kennedy, and Passmore areas and said they were “sprinkled throughout the division,” the CBC reported.
The illegal operations caused in a spike in local crime, including robberies, assaults, and shootings, Toronto Police Staff Sergeant Andrew Ecklund told the CBC.
“There is a criminal element going to these locations, extorting people running these and robbing people inside, so it’s very dangerous for anybody who’s attending any of these locations,” Ecklund said.
The gambling operations generally were run in rooms of houses and held two or three gaming tables and up to 20 people, many of whom suffered assaults and robberies by other patrons. Because most of the operations are small, they are moved easily to avoid detection.
Police said the relatively small illegal gambling operations are mobile and easily relocated and want local residents to report suspicious activity.
