OAKLAND — The ever-innovative gambling racketeers of Oakland seem to have turned a new corner, if a recent police raid is any indication.
Historically, Oakland police have kept lists of local illegal casinos, often raiding the same properties numerous times over the years as the owners always seem to get the business up and running after the cops clear out slot machines and cash.
But what if the gambling shack doesn’t stay in one place?
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During a traffic stop earlier this month, a man suspected of a minor traffic infraction reportedly told the officer he had a hot tip. A nearby RV, which the subject pointed out, was actually a roving gambling den — an illicit casino on wheels.
Authorities did a cursory search and noticed a slot machine loaded with a popular “fish game” inside, one of many arcade-style games that illegal casino patrons seem to enjoy. Police returned with a warrant and seized ammunition, magazines and a pay/owe ledger in the 1990 Oshkosh RV, according to a report.
The RV was parked on the 1400 block of 17th Avenue during the raid, authorities said.
The raid was one of several around town, as authorities have tried — once again — to curb illegal gambling. A recent news release says they raided at least two other locations over a four-day span in early March, making nine arrests and seizing firearms, gambling machines, suspected methamphetamine and ammunition.
It is an endless game of whack-a-mole that police have tried before, often in response to violence at these illegal establishments. There have been several reported homicides at gambling dens in recent years, nonfatal shootings, and even an incident where employees of one illegal casino allegedly stripped and beat a man inside.
The raids have become a regularity in Oakland, especially in the San Antonio area, but consequences against arrestees aren’t as common. Suspected casino runners are rarely charged, but sometimes those found in possession of guns or drugs are hit with felony cases, according to a search of court records from similar raids throughout 2024.
The idea that illegal gamblers may be moving their operation into RVs — a type of vehicle proliferated throughout the Bay Area due to the ongoing housing crisis — may make the problem that much harder to contain. But this one had two telltale signs, authorities say: a distinctive surveillance camera outside, and colorful, flickery lights that wound shine through the RV’s windows throughout the night.