City of Miami officials gathered Thursday to destroy 48 gaming machines or “maquinitas.
The city also has more than 100 other machines that are currently waiting for court approval to be destroyed.
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“This is a visual message that the city is indeed serious about complying with the state law,” said Mayor Tomas Regalado.
The city has been conducting undercover operations and creating a list of where the machines are located throughout the city.
“We started going to each location, we are going to make arrests based on the possessions of the machines and we are taking away the machines and putting them in storage,” City of Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa said.
Commissioner Frank Carollo, who opposes the gaming machines, was also present at the destruction of the machines.
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“It’s an extremely proud day for me that we are finally going after these maquinitas,” Carrollo said. “Some call it a game but really they are a cancer and they go to the root of our quality of life.”
The gaming machines, Internet cafes and adult arcades have been made illegal by the Florida Legislature.
At Thursday’s event, Regalado described the destruction of the machines as a police matter.
“Finally the state came through,” Regalado said. “It is the law of the land in the state of Florida and the police department and the City of Miami is complying with the law.”
