Texarkana police chief issues warning on gambling

TEXARKANA — Texarkana's police chief is warning businesses that operate illegal gambling machines that he plans to seize their equipment and arrest the owners.

Chief Bob Harrison said he's gotten complaints about arcades where people can play eight-liner machines and other prohibited games.

The Texarkana Gazette reported that Miller County Sheriff Ron Stovall said he recently warned an illegal-gambling-site operator and that the business shut down without arrests.

Harrison said some of the illegal operators appear to believe they are immune prosecution. In 2012, there were a number of gambling arrests but they did not result in convictions.

Stovall said that unless he's shown a letter from a prosecutor saying the machines are legal, he plans on closing any arcades that violate the law.

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