Federal and Georgia Lottery officials raided two Carroll County gas stations Thursday after an investigation uncovered illegal gambling practices, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
Six people associated with a Chevron on Rockmart Road and a Shell on Commerce Drive were arrested, GBI agent Cindy Ledford said.
In 2013, the Lottery took over the administration of the licensed coin-operated machines in the state.
The person who installs a coin-operated machine must hold a master license and the location itself must hold a license to operate gambling machines.
“The incentive for people to play is cash – but Georgia is not a gaming state,” Ledford said.
The gas stations had the proper licenses but failed to redeem the credits correctly, Ledford said.
In July 2015, all the coin-operated gambling machines licensed in Georgia were hooked up to a central reporting system that tracks how many people are playing and how much money is going through each game.
Ledford said more than $2 billion in cash went through the state’s gambling machines during the 2016 fiscal year, which ended June 30.
The people arrested were:
Alan Walsh, 51, of Villa Rica
Vikram Manihani, 38, of Dallas
Christine Alexander, 27, of Villa Rica
Kathryn Fortney, 42, of Bremen
Tammie Bell, 57, of Tallapoosa
Amar "Ricky" Raza, 40, of Villa Rica
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