Pokemon and sports cards used by illegal gambling ring in Texas

• During raids at seven illegal gambling establishments, police found and seized hundreds of gambling machines
• The illegal gaming venues awarded players Pokemon or sports trading cards, which were subsequently exchanged by the players for cash
• The criminal group identified itself with the brand "777", 13 people face charges for their alleged involvement

An organized illegal gambling ring was recently taken down by law enforcement in Bexar County, Texas.

Details regarding the large-scale illegal gambling operations emerged from Sheriff Javier Salazar.

Suspected criminal syndicate involved seven illegal gambling venues

Early on Wednesday, law enforcement simultaneously executed search warrants at a total of seven suspected illegal gambling venues.

Sheriff Salazar confirmed that the raids were on suspicion of illegal gambling venues that operated in "concert with each other," an activity otherwise described by police as organized crime.

Notably, during the raids, law enforcement found and seized between 500 and 600 illegal gambling devices.

According to Sheriff Salazar, the illegal gambling dens operated in a way that sought to avoid Texas laws. Nevertheless, he recognized those gambling venues as illegal.

Describing the method used by the gambling establishments, the Sheriff revealed that under the existing state laws, gaming venues cannot pay out winnings that are 10 times the player’s bet and to avoid this regulation, they awarded players with sports cards or Pokemon cards with a similar value to their winnings.

Conveniently, police found that illegal gambling establishments were often placed in close proximity, and according to the Sheriff, sometimes in the same building, as what appeared to be separate businesses that purchased collectors' cards.

"So here’s your sports card that you won for gambling with us. You can go next door and sell it to them, and they’ll probably give you a couple hundred dollars for it," the Sheriff said.

"We know what they’re doing. They’re trying to skirt the law. It doesn’t make it any less illegal, and at present, it appears that those people are all going to be going to jail," Sheriff Salazar added.

Nearly two dozen suspects were detained

Investigating the illegal gambling ring, police found that the group identified with a brand called "777."

Law enforcement believes all seven outlets were part of the same criminal organization, although a suspected ringleader or mastermind wasn’t named.

Not unexpectedly, during the raids, police seized large quantities of cash, but a precise sum wasn’t publicly confirmed, likely because the investigation is still ongoing.

A total of 23 people were initially detained, of which 13 are facing serious charges.

Some of the suspects are charged with felony drug possession, some have misdemeanor warrants, while others face charges for engaging in organized criminal activity and keeping a gambling place.

Sheriff Salazar recognized that illegal gambling venues often bring gang violence, as well as other crimes.

He explained that oftentimes, the players at such illegal gambling establishments are people on a fixed income, stressing that those outlets are often "preying upon these folks."

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