Gambling Machines Becoming A Problem In Georgia

Georgia is known for being one of the strictest states against gambling. For one, there is no legal sports betting in Georgia. Nor is there legalized casino.

But… there are some forms of legal betting. Georgia Lottery is a thing, bingo and raffle are allowed, but there’s also Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAMs). As the name indicates, these are coin-based machines that offer Las Vegas-style betting such as slots. They are regulated by the Georgia Lottery and can be found up and down the state — at bars, pool tables, and so on.

However, COAMs are starting to become a problem in the Peach State, pressing its laws against legal forms of betting. Keep reading and we’ll bring you up to speed with the ongoing issues that are raising alarm bells.

Several Busted In Effingham County

Besides the city of Savannah, Effingham County is on the sleepy side. There’s not much out there, well, besides illegal gambling.

In December of 2024, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Commercial Gambling Unit, in collaboration with the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, executed arrest warrants across the county. The investigation revealed that several businesses were operating COAMs and providing cash or tobacco as payouts for winnings — a direct violation of Georgia law. In the state, COAMs must be licensed by the Georgia Lottery, and winnings can ONLY be redeemed for lottery tickets, fuel, store merchandise, or additional game plays. Nothing monetary can be won.

The following individuals — all from the county — were arrested and charged with misdemeanors:

• Debra McFadden, 64: Two counts of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Deepkumar Patel, 29: Three counts of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Hemal “Harry” Patel, 36: Three counts of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Hiralben Patel, 43: One count of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Michelle Price, 44: One count of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Mineshkumar Patel, 59: Two counts of paying out currency for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Pushpakumar Patel, 62: Two counts of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Rajesh Patel, 60: One count of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.
• Veronica Potter, 63: One count of paying out tobacco for accrued credits on COAMs.

A couple of obvious things: the crackdown was on the machine operators. Two, there are a whole lot of business owners named Patel breaking the law in Georgia. Not to play into stereotypes, but Patel is a common Indian surname, and well, Indians own a lot of convenience stores throughout the country. So you can connect the dots there.

Six More Arrested This Month

The issues did not stop there, nor in Effingham County. It spread into 2025 and another county, this time Glynn County. This country is in the southeastern part of the state, extremely close to Florida and the city of Jacksonville.

Earlier this month, six more individuals were arrested in Brunswick, Glynn County, following a multi-agency investigation into illegal gambling activities at several local businesses. The Glynn County Police Department, in conjunction with the GBI’s Commercial Gambling Unit and the Georgia Lottery Corporation, executed arrest warrants at businesses found to be illegally disbursing cash payouts to customers for winnings earned on COAMs. The coin machines at these establishments were shut down, and citations were issued out.

The arrested individuals and their associated businesses are:

• Pratikshaben H. Patel, 52: Lolo Mart, 2722 Norwich St., Brunswick, GA.
• Sunil Madhubhai Patel, 68: Highway 341 Citgo, 4192 Norwich St., Brunswick, GA.
• Sunil J. Patel, 44: Tropical Island Meat & Grocery, 2500 Norwich St., Brunswick, GA.
• Morris Anthony Perrin, 51: Jay’s Tobacco Shop, 5715 Altama Ave., Brunswick, GA.
• Rutvikkumar A. Patel, 34: Davey’s, 3001 Altama Ave., Brunswick, GA.
• Jitendrakumar M. Patel, 47: Snappy Foods, 4200 Georgia Highway 99, Brunswick, GA.

Would you look at that — more business owners with the surname, Patel. And to confirm our suspicion, many of them own mini-marts as seen above.

“This joint operation reflects the continued commitment of local and state agencies to ensure compliance with Georgia’s gambling laws and protect the integrity of state-regulated gaming,” the police department said in a release.

Not only that, but the investigation is ongoing. They said as much as that in the news release. Anyone with information that could help the police department has been asked to call them at (912) 554-3645 or anonymously via Silent Witness at (912) 264-1333.

The Legal Grey Area

The recent busts in Effingham and Glynn counties aren’t isolated incidents — they’re a flashing warning sign for what’s become a growing gray market inside Georgia’s already limited gambling landscape. COAMs were designed to be harmless entertainment machines with light prizes, but in practice, they’ve become stand-ins for full-on slot machines in places with no casinos.

State lawmakers have had their chances at legalizing casino in the state, but all have failed — and so has legal sports betting. So no one should be surprised these rules are being bent, not only by COAMs, but also thriving offshore sportsbooks, which are much harder to crackdown on.