May 1, 2008 9:40 pm US/Eastern
St. Mary's Bingo Parlor Raided For Illegal Slots
MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (AP) ―
St. Mary's County officials raided a Mechanicsville bingo parlor and seized video bingo terminals the county calls illegal slot machines.
The St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal Investigations Narcotics Division team seized the machines Thursday at the ADF Bingo Hall in Mechanicsville.
The raid follows the launch of an investigation in March to determine whether video bingo terminals are illegal.
Slots have not yet been legalized in many parts of Maryland.
Authorities say when the county sheriff asked establishments in the county that run the machines for local charities to turn them off a month ago, everyone complied, except ADF Bingo Hall.
The sheriff's department said it executed the search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation but declined to comment further.
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