Gambling Machines Taken From Businesses
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After months of investigation, Benton County authorities busted local business owners for what police called illegal gambling machines. Afram Nazi, co-owner of the Handy Peddler in Camden, was not happy about what happened. “In my opinion, they’re not gambling machines, they are candy dispensing machines.” Nazi said it was all a misunderstanding. “They were not our machines in the first place, we were just renting the spots there for the owner of the machines.” The co-owner added he understood them to be candy dispensing machines. “To where the price of the candy was to be in an entertainment way to put in the machines, to get more chances, to get more money,” said Nazi. Sheriff Tony King said whether business owners knew or not, it did not matter. “These machines are illegal, it’s lost revenue for the state, county, city.” Officials seized eight machines; most from convenience stores. “We went to one store and we actually could see the tracks across the nicely clean tile floor, where they had slid them to the back room,” laughed Sheriff King. “I would never have ever expected them to be illegal or I would not have accepted them to be in my place in the first place,” said Nazi. Sheriff King said the gambling machines would be destroyed and its contents would go into the general budget.
