Elena Kowalska
Florida's chief gambling regulator is asking state lawmakers to stiffen the punishment for running illegal slot machines — a business that operates outside the state's licensed, non-tribal slots market.
Alana Zimmer, executive director of the Florida Gaming Control Commission, argues the current misdemeanor charge barely slows operators down. Shut one room, she said, and another opens in its place.
She laid out the argument in an interview with WCTV and the Gray Florida Capital Bureau that ran on November 9, 2026 — the opening day of Illegal Gambling Awareness Week.
Her appeal lines up with a broader enforcement push in Florida, where the attorney general has separately gone after sweepstakes casino companies. Zimmer's target is narrower: the physical machines tucked into storefronts and back rooms.
Why A Misdemeanor Falls Short
Under current law, hosting illegal slot machines is a misdemeanor. That means a closed operation tends to be replaced almost immediately, Zimmer said.
Cases frequently get thrown out, she added, and prosecutors sometimes deprioritize them in favor of what they view as more serious crimes. In her view, the offense deserves a much heavier sanction.
The Commission's pitch to the public is simple: an illegal machine comes with no guarantee of fair odds. Players have no way to check how the machines calculate payouts, Zimmer said, and the payment methods they use can leave people open to identity theft.
She also warned that unregulated venues can lure players in and then rewrite the payout terms. And because no one oversees them, there is no authority to complain to when a payout goes missing.
Where Players Can Legally Bet In Florida
On the online side, Zimmer said the Seminole Tribe holds the state's only licensed internet gambling operation, and that Hard Rock Bet is the sole legal online sportsbook in Florida.
She also took up prediction markets. Apps including Kalshi and Polymarket do business in Florida, and Zimmer said the question of whether they are legitimate exchanges or sportsbooks under a different label is all but certain to land before the US Supreme Court.
Florida is not among the states suing Kalshi. The Seminole Tribe is, on the argument that the platform is a sportsbook by another name.
Earlier Efforts To Toughen The Law Stalled
Lawmakers have tried before. In January, a House proposal covered by WBBH would have extended enforcement to suppliers, landlords and online platforms, and could have elevated the importation of large numbers of illegal slot machines to a first-degree felony, with fines reaching $500,000.
Then in March, the Herald-Tribune reported that a bill making illegal gambling a third-degree felony — up to five years behind bars — died in the Florida Senate.
WCTV's report did not identify which legislative vehicle the Commission intends to use this time.
According to WCTV, the Commission also recently picked up an international regulator award, four years after it was created.
The real test comes when lawmakers return: whether they take up the penalty change, and whether prosecutors carry more of these cases through to the end once the charge carries more weight.
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Source: gambling.com
