More Than £110,000 in Cash and Gold Seized in Latest Illegal Gambling Raids in England

An astonishing haul of £110,000 in cash and gold bars were seized as part of the latest crackdown on illegal gambling premises in the UK.

Officers from South Yorkshire Police joined forces with officials from the Gambling Commission and other agencies to raid the properties in Sheffield and Doncaster this week.

Seven arrests have been made in all over allegations of illegal gambling, money laundering, immigration offences and possession of a bladed weapon.

Serious Consequences

Police bodycam footage, published by the BBC, revealed the size and scale of the illegal gambling operations uncovered.

The huge sum of cash was found alongside gold bars, coins and jewellery in the properties on London Road in Sheffield and Silver Street in Doncaster.

That was seized along with sixteen illegal betting terminals and gaming tables after officers executed a search warrant following a tip-off as to the activities inside.

In separate raids across the cities, counterfeit tobacco, cannabis plants and suspected stolen motorbikes were also confiscated.

It was a continuation of Operation Snaresbrook, which had already led to the arrest of eight people in Doncaster last month over accusations that they were running an illegal casino in the city.

Operation Snaresbrook has brought together Yorkshire & Humber Regional and Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU), local councils, Immigration Enforcement and Gambling Commission in a bid to close down illegal gambling premises across the north of England.

Inspector Amy Mellor, of the South West Neighbourhood Policing Team in Sheffield, commented:

“Weeks of planning alongside colleagues has allowed us to develop intelligence and crack down on the harmful trade of illegal gambling, which we know can fund other activity linked to organised crime.”

And Sue Young, the executive director of operations at the Gambling Commission, said:

“This action should send a clear message – if you’re running an illegal gambling operation, we will work with police and other partners to shut you down and ensure you face serious consequences.”

Not a Victimless Crime

As recently as July, another pair of unlicensed casinos in Doncaster were raided as part of Operation Snaresbrook.

Eight arrests were made after evidence of illegal gambling was discovered, including slot machines, poker tables and chips. Some £9,000 in cash was seized alongside what was suspected to be a book of accounts.

One of the arrested individuals was accused of offences pertaining to the Gambling Act 2005, while the other seven were held over suspected illegal immigration breaches.

A separate operation in Bristol back in July also yielded evidence of illegal gambling, with two arrests made, while an unnamed man and woman were arrested in Manchester accused of similar offences.

The suggestion is that the government’s Illegal Gambling Taskforce, set up to uncover unlicensed operations in towns and cities as well as online, has started to bear fruit after £26 million was ringfenced in the Autumn Budget to crack down on the black market.

The chief superintendent of South Yorkshire Police, Jamie Henderson, warned that illegal gambling is not victimless and can often lead to ‘debt bondage’, in which people that owe money that they cannot repay are forced to commit illegal acts – from hiding guns and incriminating evidence to drug dealing – on behalf of organised crime leaders.

Speaking after the latest success of Operation Snaresbrook, Henderson said:

“We know illegal gambling dens have exploitation, violence and entrenched organised crime. Our job here today and over the next couple of days is to try to tackle that.”