The Bexar County Sheriff's Office Organized Crime Unit executed a search warrant Thursday afternoon at an illegal gaming room on San Antonio's West Side, resulting in two arrests and citations for five customers.
Deputies raided Silver City, a storefront in the 7400 block of U. S.
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Highway 90 near Military Drive, around 3 p. m.
as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal gambling.
Investigators seized 44 gaming machines and more than $19,000 in cash from the location, according to official reports.
Arrested employees were identified as 66-year-old Olga Sifuentes Rodriguez and 21-year-old Ecstasy Leyva.
Both face charges of gambling promotion, possession of a gambling device, and engaging in organized criminal activity. The five customers received citations for gambling.
Sheriff Details Operation
Sheriff Javier Salazar detailed the operation Friday morning, confirming that about seven people were present during the raid: five playing games and two employees.
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Salazar explained that the machines themselves are not illegal under Texas law, but the establishment's method of distributing winnings violated state regulations.
“Any time that somebody's paid out more than 10 times the amount of what they bet, then it becomes illegal,” Salazar said.
Investigators found that staff used a system involving non-monetary items to bypass restrictions on direct cash payouts.
“My understanding is they were giving out beads that you would then go to some sort of a store nearby and sell those beads to the person there,” Salazar said.
Salazar noted that such operations are widespread due to their profitability, and his department maintains jurisdiction to investigate them even within San Antonio city limits.
“Whether you're in the unincorporated areas or whether you're in the city, our organized crime group is still going to be looking at what these folks are doing and are still going to be acting upon it,” he said.
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The business owner, who was not present during the raid, is expected to face criminal charges as the investigation continues.
