The Brief
- More than two dozen people are facing criminal charges after an undercover operation dubbed “Operation Bad Odds.”
- Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says detectives seized a total of 48 machines from 12 stores countywide.
- Investigators also confiscated more than $100,000 in cash.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says more than two dozen people, including several store owners, are facing charges after an undercover illegal gambling investigation dubbed “Operation Bad Odds.”
Surrounded by some of the seized gambling machines, Judd and other law enforcement officials spoke about the operation at a news conference in Winter Haven on Thursday.
The backstory:
Judd says the undercover investigation began with a “simple tip” about gambling in back rooms at A-1 Discount Beverage and Discount & Deli, both on Pilaklakaha Ave. in Auburndale.…