3 police gambling
raids net $100,000

13 people are arrested
at Keeaumoku-area businesses
that served as game room fronts

Honolulu police raided three gambling houses in the Keeaumoku area Tuesday night, seizing almost $100,000 in cash.

Police also arrested 13 people for misdemeanor gambling offenses and confiscated thousands of playing cards, electronic gambling devices, poker chips and green felt gambling covers for games such as baccarat, and an estimated $5,600 in security equipment.

The search warrants were executed simultaneously at 7 p.m. at Sheridan Billiards at 1320 Rycroft St., Asian Imports at 1232 Young St. and a unit on the second-floor of the Samsung building at 655 Keeaumoku St.

"We believe it's a significant amount of gambling on this island," said HPD Maj. Kevin Lima. "We've been to game rooms before and never got close to this amount of cash."

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RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Asian Imports at 1232 Young St. was one of three sites raided for gambling Tuesday night, netting $80,000, police said.

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Although all three locations had signs with the business names on the outside of the buildings, police said no legitimate business, but gambling was occurring inside.

The three houses are related, police said, but they would not elaborate.

Lima said police have raided the Rycroft and Keeaumoku locations before, but the Young Street operation was new. It was there that police seized most of the cash -- $80,000 out of a total of $97,932 -- recovered.

Investigators said prior to Tuesday night's raids, it took about six months to have undercover officers infiltrate the gambling houses, mostly because of language barriers.

Lima described the clientele as "exclusive," and cautious as far as allowing outsiders access.

"These particular gambling houses, the people who went there were Asian -- Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean -- most of them playing baccarat," said Lt. Walter Ozeki, of HPD's gambling detail. "Many of them don't speak English. ... It can take a while for us to place someone inside."

Ozeki said these types of gambling operations happen often, perhaps six to 10 times a week in different places in the downtown, Chinatown and Keeaumoku area.

Usually they involve a lookout at the front door, security cameras outside and a casino-type atmosphere where the house gets a cut of the action, he said.

"We try to hit them as much as we possibly can," Ozeki said. "Some of these places are in operation nightly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

In these three gambling houses, Ozeki said, patrons were playing mostly card games, poker, blackjack and baccarat.

Police arrested 10 men and three women, all Honolulu residents between the ages of 26 and 69, and charged them with promoting gambling in the second degree. Bail was set between $500 and $6,000. Promoting gambling is a misdemeanor that carries with it up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Lima said police became aware of the operations after a number of complaints by neighbors, who said they saw people entering the establishments almost 24 hours a day.

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