Eight illegal gaming businesses were busted in Brown County Monday morning.
The raids came after a months-long investigation and officials said it all started when community members voiced their concerns.
Seven game rooms in Brownwood and one in Early were raided at 7 a.m. Monday.
The raids were a joint effort by Brownwood Police, Early Police, Brown County Sheriff's Office and the Brown County Attorney's office.
Officials sent undercover officers into the game rooms several times over the course of the investigation.
According to Brownwood Chief of Police Mike Corley, investigators found the businesses, filled with eight-liner gaming machines, were paying out cash or handing out gift cars -- both of which are illegal under Texas gambling law.
Corley said he has been wanting to shut them down for a while, but raids like Monday's take a lot of planning and resources.
"We want to make sure we're right and it's the right thing for the community," Corley said. "So you can't just run in there and do it in a short amount of time."
Early Police Chief David Mercer said both police departments received complaints from citizens about the appearance of the businesses, and the activities going on inside.
"We had many different complaints about older people who couldn't afford food, but they're still playing the games," Mercer said.
There is an entire room at the Brownwood Police Department filled with evidence from Mondays raids.
Upwards of 200 motherboards were taken from inside eight-liner machines, along with paperwork like bank records, utility bills and tax receipts from the businesses, Corley said.
Police also seized dozens of computers from one of the locations.
At this point, no arrests have been made, but both Brownwood and Early police said they would not be surprised if criminal charges are filed against owners in the future.
They also say they raided the businesses so early in the day because they are not looking to prosecute patrons.
The raids came after a months-long investigation and officials said it all started when community members voiced their concerns.
Seven game rooms in Brownwood and one in Early were raided at 7 a.m. Monday.
The raids were a joint effort by Brownwood Police, Early Police, Brown County Sheriff's Office and the Brown County Attorney's office.
Officials sent undercover officers into the game rooms several times over the course of the investigation.
According to Brownwood Chief of Police Mike Corley, investigators found the businesses, filled with eight-liner gaming machines, were paying out cash or handing out gift cars -- both of which are illegal under Texas gambling law.
Corley said he has been wanting to shut them down for a while, but raids like Monday's take a lot of planning and resources.
"We want to make sure we're right and it's the right thing for the community," Corley said. "So you can't just run in there and do it in a short amount of time."
Early Police Chief David Mercer said both police departments received complaints from citizens about the appearance of the businesses, and the activities going on inside.
"We had many different complaints about older people who couldn't afford food, but they're still playing the games," Mercer said.
There is an entire room at the Brownwood Police Department filled with evidence from Mondays raids.
Upwards of 200 motherboards were taken from inside eight-liner machines, along with paperwork like bank records, utility bills and tax receipts from the businesses, Corley said.
Police also seized dozens of computers from one of the locations.
At this point, no arrests have been made, but both Brownwood and Early police said they would not be surprised if criminal charges are filed against owners in the future.
They also say they raided the businesses so early in the day because they are not looking to prosecute patrons.
