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.
Multiple people associated with a Chevron on Rockmart Road and a Shell on Commerce Drive are expected to be 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.
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