Sheriff: Sarasota gambling probe nets 66 slot machines, two arrests

A Sarasota County business was shut down and two of its employees were arrested after a monthslong investigation into illegal gambling operations countywide, officials say. Spin 24/7 Social Club at 5709 S. Beneva Road has been closed following a probe by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office that also netted nearly 70 slot machines.

Mohamed Belyaqout, 52, of Bradenton, and Mabielka C. Cumbrera, 45, of Sarasota, have been charged with keeping and maintaining a gambling house and possession of slot machines, officials say.

Belyaquot was arrested March 26 at Spin 24/7 Social Club, where authorities say they seized 66 slot machines. He was released the following day after posting $300 bond, according to Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office records. Cumbrera was taken into custody on March 27 at her home in Sarasota and was released the same day after posting $300 bond as well, authorities say. 

The sheriff’s office says it has been investigating illegal gambling casinos around Sarasota County since early 2025, and the Beneva Road business had already been put on notice. In March 2025, detectives say they served Spin 24/7 with a cease-and-desist letter and observed rows of slot machines inside during their visit.

In February and March, undercover detectives went into Spin 24/7, which was operating from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and used the slot machines as part of their investigation, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The Spin 24/7 Social Club probe was conducted by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office intelligence unit, tactical unit, special investigations section and patrol bureau in cooperation with the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC).

“We will continue our partnership with FGCC, holding these illegal gambling establishments accountable and shutting them down,” Sheriff Kurt Hoffman says in a statement.

In Florida, slot machines are only legal at certain Indian tribal facilities and eight pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, according to the FGCC. Legal slot machines in the Gulf Coast region are at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa and Seminole Casino Immokalee.

Other recent illegal gambling busts in Sarasota County include 41 Social Club on South Tamiami Trail in Venice, where 66 slot machines were seized and one person was arrested in January, and Magic Arcade on Swift Road, where 117 slot machines were seized and two people were arrested in September 2025.