Police shut down 2 unlicensed gambling dens in Santa Ana

Police responding to complaints from the community shut down two unlicensed gambling dens in Santa Ana in one week, officials said Thursday, May 14.

Authorities had received numerous complaints from members of the community regarding two suspected “slap” houses, Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. Vice detectives working with the department’s Major Enforcement Team served one warrant Wednesday, May 13,  at a residence at 4902 W. 6th Street, and another Thursday at a cyber cafe at 312 E. 1st St.

“They had complained about people 24/7, coming and going and possible criminal activity,” Bertagna said.

The places are called slap houses because of the sound of people banging on the video gambling machines.

When police searched the residence on 6th Street on Wednesday, they recovered 11 illegal gambling machines and arrested 4 people for outstanding warrants, SAPD officials said in a news release. The unlicensed casino was “packed” with 30 people, Bertagna said.

Authorities searched a back room of a cyber cafe on 1st Street the following day, and found 11 more illegal gambling machines and about $7,000 in cash, police said.

Both the residence and the cyber cafe were red-tagged and deemed uninhabitable, Bertagna said.

He described unlicensed gambling as an ongoing problem in Santa Ana that police are actively monitoring and responding to.