The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) intensified its crackdown on illegal gambling with the seizure of 60 slot machines at Uptown Bingo, an establishment located at 2708 Santa Barbara Boulevard, Suite 108, Cape Coral. The operation, named Operation Going Downtown and announced on August 17, 2026, was carried out alongside the Cape Coral Police Department after authorities identified electronic devices being presented as bingo machines despite meeting, according to regulators, the legal definition of prohibited slot machines.
The enforcement action targets a model Florida authority have been pursuing more aggressively throughout 2026, businesses using terms such as “bingo” or “instant bingo” to give an appearance of legality to electronic machines based on unpredictable outcomes and offering prizes or monetary value. State law, particularly Chapter 849 and Sections 849.15, 849.16 and 849.0931 of the Florida Statutes, allows certain forms of traditional bingo but does not make a slot machine legal simply because it uses bingo terminology or themes.
Anthony Sizemore
The FGCC has been chaired by Julie Brown since January 2026. Tina Repp serves as vice chair, while Alana Zimmer has served as executive director since October 2025.
Commissioner Peter Cuderman, cited by the agency in connection with the case, warned about the use of bingo concepts to present illegal slots as authorized gaming products. The commission also includes John Michael D’Aquila and William Spicola.
At the local level, the operation involved the Cape Coral Police Department, led by Police Chief Anthony Sizemore. Authorities did not announce arrests, individual criminal charges, cash seizures or final penalties.
Florida limits legal slot machines to eight authorized facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, in addition to properties operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida under its tribal gaming framework. State law allows penalties of up to US$10,000 per illegally possessed machine, placing the theoretical administrative exposure for the 60 devices at up to US$600,000, although no such penalty has been imposed in this case.
