When Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies raided the Spin Fun Arcade two years ago this month, they believed they were shutting down one of the county’s more blatant illegal gambling dens.
Perched along U.S. 41 in a busy Bradenton strip mall, the arcade’s darkened windows were wrapped with images of floating dollar bills, mounds of gold and the word “jackpot” in bold letters — advertising that left little mystery about what awaited inside.
Deputies hauled away nearly a hundred slot-style machines, many stamped with the Bally logo used in licensed casinos, and seized tens of thousands of dollars in cash. The investigation file included surveillance video, payout tickets and a sworn statement describing cash prizes exchanged openly at the counter.
The man they alleged was behind it all wasn’t an obscure operator but Gary Kompothecras — the well-known Sarasota businessman behind the 1-800-ASK-GARY lawyer referral network, political donor to governors and state attorneys alike, and financier of the MTV reality show Siesta Key…