PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Investigators searched a Pflugerville bar for signs of illegal gambling after an undercover officer raised concerns, according to a search warrant.
The Edge of Town Saloon on Vision Drive has been identified as one of six locations in Texas that was searched on Friday as part of an investigation into illegal gambling.
A search warrant for the premises obtained by KXAN reveals that concerns were raised by an undercover officer who visited the bar in January.
He set up an account to play on computers in the bar, and believed the activity he was able to access constituted illegal gambling, according to the warrant.
The officer also reported that employees used different registers for the drinks and the games.
Under Texas laws, “a person can operate a machine that affords the player an opportunity to win a token from a single play of the machine and the value of the token does not exceed 10 times the amount wagered on the single play or $5, whichever is less.”
It is illegal, however, to pay money to a player for any wins accumulated on one of these machines.
The search warrant also reveals various items that investigators were searching for at The Edge of Town, including:
- Computers and equipment used as gambling devices
- Devices used to facilitate illegal gambling, such as credit card scanners, or devices for encoding cards with gambling information
- USB drives, external hard drives and other storage devices
- Records of illegal gambling activity, such as customer lists, betting information and phone records
- Bank records
- Proceeds – cash, checks and credit card receipts
The Texas Department of Public Safety previously said that its Criminal Intelligence Division and troopers, along with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission carried out search warrants at six locations across Texas on Friday.
In addition to The Edge of Town, KXAN found DPS vehicles at four others bars in the Austin area.
These were three Marshall’s Taverns, located on East Pecan Street in Pflugerville; Pond Springs in Austin; and North Main Street in Taylor.
Neighbors said officers were also outside Grumpy’s Saloon on Ranch Road 620 North in Lakeway.
All of those bars share the same owners.
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