On Monday, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office announced that a Winter Garden man was arrested earlier this month on a misdemeanor charge of keeping a gambling house on North Ferdon Boulevard in Crestview.

• Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigators say 56-year-old Lin Zhuo habitually kept and permitted a gaming room and slot machines at The Lucky Pearl Internet Cafe.

During the undercover investigation, an employee told the investigator there were internet slots that people could play. He was also told there were stand-alone machines that accept cash, win real money, and can cash out on-site or use CashApp.

The employee admitted approximately 90% of their business is online and the business uses CashApp to pay out and collect money. The Undercover OCSO Investigator cashed out on the standalone machine and the employee paid the investigator $17.10 in cash.

Investigators say records reveal from November 11, 2020 to November 12, 2021, there were approximately 23,413 transactions paid to The Lucky Pearl totaling $758,905 via CashApp by persons believed to be customers.

• During that same approximate time frame, $13,072 was paid out to customers via CashApp, with a a majority of the comments citing “winnings”.

“The Florida Gaming Control Commission says the business is not a legitimate and sanctioned gambling facility and having computerized slot machines in a business outside a sanctioned facility is a violation of the law,” wrote the OCSO in a press release.