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Published: 2007-09-08 22:36:00
Updated: 2007-09-09 00:51:00

Posted: September 8, 2007
Updated: September 9, 2007

Authorities Bust Johnston County Casino

Police Money
Police Money
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Benson, N.C. — State agents and sheriff's deputies made a major bust when they raided a make-shift casino in Johnston County on Saturday night.

The raid occurred at what Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell described as an illegal poker operation in a building on Bear Road, off N.C. Highway 242 South, near Benson.

Officers arrested 70 people and seized thousands of dollars, along with numerous gambling tables. The operation included professional gamblers from out of state, Bizzell said.

The state Alcohol Law Enforcement agency conducted the investigation into the gambling operation. Johnston County sheriff's deputies assisted when ALE agents executed a search warrant at the building.

  • Web Editor: Anne Johnson
Copyright 2011 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

61 Comments


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Latest Comments
Video poker gone, home poker gone, BUT....WE CAN ALL PLAY THE NC STATE LOTTERY...what could be better...think of it, 1 chance in 5,000,000,000 to win $1....and the state thinks this is fair. What a complete bunch of imbeciles....
whatusay
September 10, 2007 7:58 p.m.
Gambling is only bad when the state doesn't profit from it.
fletchermse
September 10, 2007 12:49 p.m.
Was this part of the 2007 WSOP Main Event?
24Fan_24Fan
September 10, 2007 12:23 p.m.
let me see if I got this straight, you cant play poker cause its illegal but its ok to drink, isnt there something wrong with this picture? People playing poker isnt harming anyone, only wish I knew where the game was being held.
Click to view my profile lastchance
September 10, 2007 9:12 a.m.
This situation is different from the usual weekly home game in several ways, but the two most important reasons are probably why it got busted: 1) the "house" was probably taking a rake (a percentage of each pot is paid to the house as profit, and 2) the sheer size of the game. The report says several tables. If you figure 5 tables at 8 players, that forty people. By stating this was a casino, that implies the play occured on multiple nights a week, so if you have 40 people playing 4 nights a week, that is a lot of gambling. And in an unregulated, underground casino, you often have other illegal things going on. I would imagine your average neighborhood weekly game is pretty safe in comparison.
pleshy
September 10, 2007 8:38 a.m.
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