Over £110,000 worth of cash and gold items have been seized and three people arrested following police raids on suspected illegal gambling dens in Sheffield and Doncaster, UK.
Operation Duxford and Operation Snaresbrook took place across August 4th and 5th, with support from the Gambling Commission, Yorkshire & Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU), local authorities and Immigration Enforcement.
Of the three men taken into custody, only one was arrested on suspicion of gambling offences, according to police.
The raids took place in the London Road area of Sheffield, where large amounts of cash were discovered, and on Silver Street in Doncaster.
Speaking at the scene, Chief Inspector John Mallows said: “We’ve found considerable sums of cash which had been locked in safes.”
“The gambling machines themselves were also full of money, which obviously people have been actively using, so we’ve seized that money”.
Following the operation’s success, Chief Superintendent Jamie Henderson said: “Illegal gambling is not a victimless crime. We know illegal gambling dens have exploitation, violence and entrenched organised crime.
“Our job here today and over the next couple of days is to try to tackle that.”
Henderson said intelligence suggested that these illegal gambling dens were “hiding in plain sight in venues such as rooms above retail premises, the back rooms of licensed venues and in nightclubs”.
In a statement of support posted to its website, the Gambling Commission – which back in May began advertising for a Head of Illegal Markets role for the first time – highlighted how illegal gambling premises can create risks for consumers and may hold connections to wider criminal activity.
Executive Director of Operations at the Gambling Commission, Sue Young, said of the raid:
“This action should send a clear message – if you’re running an illegal gambling operation we will work with police and other partners to shut you down and ensure you face serious consequences.”
