Police tape blocks off the crime scene outside a church where a man shot dead four people, including three of his children, before turning the gun on himself, February 28, 2022 in Sacramento, California. A father shot dead three of his own children on February 28 before turning the gun on himself in a US church, police said. A fifth person also died in the shooting in Sacramento, California, though it was not clear if that person was related to what police said was a domestic incident. (Photo by Andri Tambunan / AFP) (Photo by ANDRI TAMBUNAN/AFP via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – San Diego police have raided two illegal gambling operations in the span of two days, underscoring what appears to be a persistent and resilient underground economy flourishing in the city’s urban core. The back-to-back crackdowns in City Heights—one at a convenience store and the other inside a private home—offer a glimpse into the scale and spread of illicit gambling in San Diego, raising troubling questions about how these dens continue to operate, where the machines come from, and what role they play in attracting further criminal activity.
The latest raid occurred Friday at Rocky’s Market, a corner store tucked along University Avenue in the Teralta East neighborhood. Officers, following up on a municipal code violation, entered the store and discovered multiple gambling machines on the premises. A search warrant yielded nine machines, nearly $500 in cash, and a replica firearm. Four individuals were found inside; one was arrested for violating probation, and three others received citations related to illegal gambling activity.
Just 24 hours earlier, another gambling den was dismantled at a residential property on Fairmount Avenue. In that case, police and FBI task force agents seized 12 machines, two loaded firearms, drugs, and over $1,000 in cash. Six people were arrested. Police say that particular home had already been raided once earlier this year after a double shooting prompted an investigation. Within weeks, the operation had quietly reopened.
According to San Diego Police Captain Martha Sainz, these illegal gambling sites often serve as hubs for broader criminal activity, including drug distribution, prostitution, gang presence, and violent altercations. The cycle is familiar to law enforcement: a raid disrupts operations, but only temporarily. Within days or weeks, new reports surface—often about the same addresses or new locations just blocks away.
What remains unclear is how these establishments are sourcing the gambling machines themselves. The units—typically retrofitted slot-style or video poker devices—are illegal for commercial use in California without strict state oversight. Yet they continue to appear in residences, storefronts, and warehouses across the city. Their origins are rarely disclosed, and arrests often result in minor penalties that do little to deter operators from restarting.
The persistence of these dens reflects deeper questions about enforcement capacity, regulation, and community safety. In neighborhoods like City Heights—where affordable housing is scarce and public resources are stretched—illegal gambling is less a novelty than a symptom. Machines come in, money changes hands, and the police return again and again.
