A businessman from Kent was accused of running illegal gambling operations in Florida. The man, who had allegedly operated an illegal slot machine business, has now pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The defendant, Timothy Surgen, is a 57-year-old man who, according to multiple charges, leveraged his company, Surgen Enterprises, to operate slot machines. His alleged violations have been outlined in over a hundred charges, claiming that he offered slots at the Black Beards Super Game Room, Games N More and Treasure Island Arcade properties.

For reference, Florida’s laws prohibit slot machines that pay out cash.

In addition to possessing slot machines and running illegal gambling operations, Surgen faces charges for money laundering.

Plaintiffs Allege Surgen Operated Illegal Gambling and Laundered Money

Surgen Enterprises was founded in Ohio in 2012. The company launched in Florida in 2018, where its owner filed it as a foreign limited liability company based of out Ohio.

In 2019, Surgen applied for a new business application, allowing him to establish Treasure Island Arcade, one of the venues where he offered illegal slots. The venue was officially listed as an arcade business offering 50 machines and overseen by three employees.

Games N More, one of the other venues in question, was launched in 2022 and was listed as a 20-machine arcade with four employees. Black Beards Super Game Room was founded that same year and was listed as an arcade with 25 machines and four employees. These two properties were notably founded by a former Surgen employee.

Between November 2022 and September 2023, investigators probed into Games N More and Treasure Island Arcade. Undercover agents spotted armed guards and learned that the venues offered multiple cash slots. To confirm that the machines were illegal, the agents tried to exchange cashout tickets for money and gift cards – a practice forbidden in Florida.

Surgen, who has now pleaded not guilty to running illegal gambling operations, is believed to have generated more than $304,000 of illegal money.

Surgen faces further charges.

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An Illinois gambling businessman is seeking leniency after he was convicted of fraud, bribery and lying to FBI agents. He faces up to 20 years in prison for his crimes.

The businessman, James T. Weiss, was convicted in June this year and is currently awaiting sentencing from US District Judge Steven Seeger. Seeking leniency for his crimes, Weiss hopes to get out of this with a 27-month sentence.

For reference, the businessman was found guilty of bribing state officials to pass legislations that favored his business. Weiss’ company, Collage, manufactures sweepstakes machines which he wanted legalized in Illinois.

To that end, Weiss paid then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo $2,500 a month in hopes of pushing his agenda through. The sweepstakes legislation didn’t appear in Illinois’ gambling bill and, as a result, Weiss then conspired with Terry Link, a former senator and chief sponsor of the gambling bill.

When the scheme was discovered, Link cooperated with the authorities in hopes of reducing his sentence. Arroyo, on the other hand, was found guilty of additional bribery-related offenses and faced a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The ex-representative was eventually sentenced to almost 5 years.

Judge Seeger, who also handed the sentence to Arroyo, is unlikely to reduce Weiss’ sentence as much as the businessman hopes.

Sweepstake Machines Remain in Illinois’ Gray Sector

Weiss was bullish on getting the sweepstakes machines legalized and has donated over $80,000 to sweepstakes machine legalization initiatives. He had many connections, allowing him to exercise certain influence to the point of being in a position to try to get certain laws passed.

One of the people he worked with, Alderman Gilbert Villegas, argued that sweepstakes machines are in Illinois, whether politicians like it or not, which is why they should be either outlawed or regulated.

Sweepstakes machines currently sit in Illinois’ legal gray area, mirroring other more unusual gambling offerings in other states, including skill games.

In unrelated news, Illinois recently stepped “away from incarceration and towards rehabilitation” by allowing former convicts to work at casinos in the state. While such people remain prohibited from serving in positions such as slot attendants and dealers, they can now serve as waiters, housekeepers, chefs, porters, etc.

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