Illegal slot machines seized

Illegal slot machines seized from Santa Cruz County convenience stores
By Stephen Baxter

At least six illegal gambling machines that bilked players out of thousands of dollars have been seized by county authorities in the past two weeks, according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office.

The quarter-slot games had popped up in convenience stores over the past month, with the company that delivered the games promising to give store owners a cut of the proceeds. But Aron Tripp, a District Attorney's Office investigator, said the games were unregulated and rigged.

"Our biggest concern was that children were playing the machine," Tripp said of the games, some of which were in businesses near schools.