Bradenton bar raided for illegal gambling

A Bradenton bar owner could face up to five years in prison and $40,000 in fines over four slot machines that authorities say the establishment was operating without a license.

Pour Decisions Saloon and its slot machines were the subject of several undercover operations in March that came to a head on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the Bradenton Police Department, which executed a search warrant and raided the downtown business with help from the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco. 

Four arcade-style slot machines were removed from the premises at 430 12th St., officials say.

Image courtesy of Bradenton Police Department

No charges were filed as of Thursday, and there is no timeline for when that could occur, according to Meredith Censullo, a spokesperson for the Bradenton Police Department. The investigation is ongoing, she says.

“It could be a local or state-level investigation,” Censullo tells the Business Observer. 

That is because the Florida Gaming Control Commission regulates slot machines. Operating one without a Florida Gaming Control Commission-issued license is against the law and subject to up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine per machine. According to the commission, the nearest locations licensed to operate slot machines are the Hard Rock Tampa and Seminole Casino Immokalee in Collier County.