Friday night Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Al Rosen along with Precinct 2 and 4 moved in and took over several game rooms in the South Houston area with close to 70 officers. Several arrests were made of the managers of the establishments. In all over $200,000 was seized. Signs in the game rooms stated prizes only would be awarded, no cash. Yet, undercover officers have been paid over the past few weeks in cash. One of the prizes displayed was a big screen television. After further inspection the box contained bricks and had several months of dust which had settled on top of it. Constable Rosen said these establishments prey mostly on the elderly and the machines are rigged. If they weren’t rigged they wouldn’t have found so much cash. The players would have had some cash. He said crime also tends to grow in the area of the game rooms. Gambling on the machines is illegal in Texas. Unlike Louisiana, where it is legal but highly regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Commission.
