Nine People Arrested After Gambling Operation in Georgia Goes South

Georgia residents cannot access our best sports betting sites or real-money online casinos. While there are some gambling grey areas in the state, some folks will always try to push the boundaries.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) Commercial Gambling Unit and Effingham County Sheriff’s Office have made several arrests to help conclude a long-term gambling investigation. On December 12, authorities executed arrest warrants for violations of Georgia’s gambling laws, with nine arrests completed. Authorities are holding everyone arrested for misdemeanor charges. More arrests could be on the horizon in connection with the investigation. Despite there being no legal Georgia sports betting, the GBI still has its hands full.

The investigation centered around businesses operating Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAMS), which provided customers with occasional credit payouts like a slot machine. These businesses then allowed players to redeem those credits for cash.

COAMS are legal under Georgia law, but the Georgia Lottery must license each machine. Additionally, businesses can only exchange credits players win for lottery tickets or store merchandise. 

The suspects arrested

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office released the complete list of arrested suspects. You can see them below:

• Debra McFadden, 64, is charged with two counts of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Deepkumar Patel, 29, is charged with three counts of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Hemal “Harry” Patel, 36, is charged with three counts of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Hiralben Patel, 43, is charged with one count of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Michelle Price, 44, is charged with one count of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Mineshkumar Patel, 59, is charged with two counts of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Pushpakumar Patel, 62, is charged with two counts of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Rajesh Patel, 60, is charged with one count of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Veronica Potter, 63, is charged with one count of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.

Another type of gaming drawing controversy in 2024

COAMs aren’t the only form of gambling that has drawn controversy in 2024. Skill games have drawn plenty of attention in states like Pennsylvania, with lawmakers considering legalizing these games in the 2025 budget. Like COAMs, skill game machines aren’t supposed to pay out cash. Instead, many skill games provide rewards like gift vouchers.

Skill games are currently unregulated in most of the US, allowing businesses like gas stations, bars, and restaurants to support these machines without paying taxes applied to other forms of gambling. Estimates suggest skill games account for 40% of legal and illegal gambling machines and that there are more than 600,000 across the US.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) was forced to defend its enforcement of skill games in July 2024. It sent a press release highlighting 29 convictions for illegal skill games over the prior five years, recovering over $176,000 in cash and over $15,000 in gift cards. 

MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said, “As the regulatory authority overseeing the three Detroit commercial casinos and online gaming in Michigan, the MGCB is committed to upholding the integrity of the state’s gambling regulations and ensuring a fair and responsible gaming environment for all citizens.”