Gambling casinos raided in Gwinnett, Clarke, Jackson

Authorities raided illegal gambling operations in Gwinnett, Clarke and Jackson County, the Athens Banner-Herald reports.

More than a dozen homes and businesses in Athens, Jefferson, Commerce, Flowery Branch and Dacula were the targets of the Wednesday operation, the newspaper said.

The Internal Revenue Service, FBI, GBI and the Georgia Department of Revenue assisted in the raids, the Banner-Herald said.

There did not appear to be any connection between the sites raided, which included five convenience stores in Jefferson, authorities said. The total number of arrests was not immediately available.

“Illegal gambling is very profitable, and they think that the risk is worth the profits ...,” Athens-Clarke County Police Sgt. Mark Malueg said.