Man Fined $100K For Running Illegal Casinos

Man Fined $100K For Running Illegal Casinos
Bar Owner Craig Hatch To Be Sentenced At Later Date

FLINT, Mich. -- A Flint-area bar owner has plead guilty to operating illegal casinos and will have to pay a $100,000 fine.

Ten bars owned by Craig Hatch, 53, were raided after officials said he operated illegal poker machines.

A sentencing date hasn't been set. According to the attorney general’s office, 35 defendants have been charged for their roles in the illegal gambling operation.

Authorities said the bars owned by Hatch operated illegal poker machines from March 2006 to November 2007, which allowed patrons to gamble as if they were in a licensed casino but without the protections that come with oversight by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

"Illegal gaming breeds spin-off crimes that further threaten public safety," said Attorney General Bill Schuette. "Only by bringing crime under control in Flint can the community begin to grow again. Public safety is my No. 1 priority."

The Michigan State Police investigation revealed that Hatch paid cash winnings to patrons while taking measures to evade detection by law enforcement, such as writing patron initials instead of full names on envelopes used to deliver winnings.