Eighth Ave slot machines raise safety concerns

For some Chinese immigrants in New York, gambling is not only a way to possibly make a little money, but also an opportunity to socialize and take a break from the stress of daily life. They call it “a little gambling to ease the mood.”

The demand has helped back-room mahjong parlors and underground gambling dens to quietly multiply behind the scenes of Eighth Avenue.

But when slot machines – coin-operated arcade cabinets that print out vouchers winners can exchange for cash – started to crop up in the community shops and Chinese restaurants, many local residents began to take notice, fearing the devices as a sign of more nefarious activities going on unseen.

What the stickers are hiding

Ms. Yan, a Sunset Park resident, said that when a local Chinese restaurant opened a few years ago business was pretty good. A few months ago, however, after returning from traveling abroad, she visited again and found the restaurant’s glass door and windows were covered with advertising stickers.

While stickers decorating a storefront are not unusual, these were so large and numerous they completely blocked the view from outside into the shop.

Only when she walked in and saw four new slot machines placed along the walls did she realize the stickers were meant to conceal the illegal gambling activities inside.

Dismayed, she went ahead and ordered her meal. While she ate, she noticed a number of young men frequently coming in from outside to play the machines without ordering any food. The cooks came from the kitchen to watch the “customers” play.

The experience left Ms. Yan uneasy and tarnished her good impression of the restaurant. She believes the shop has lost many of its regular customers.

“Nowadays when I occasionally order takeout and go to pick it up, I find there is not a single customer inside, while there are people sitting in front of the slot machines,” Ms. Yan said.

In the past, many parents brought their children to eat there, according to Ms. Yan. Now, with all the gambling, she feels it only natural they would be unwilling to patronize the restaurant again.

The real danger

In the past few years there have been several cases on Eighth Avenue of underground gambling dens being robbed, resulting in gamblers or innocent bystanders being injured, or even killed. Many locals believe gambling results in more serious crimes that put everyone’s lives at risk.

Residents worry that slot machines in neighborhood shops signal to violent offenders that larger, cash-heavy gambling may be hidden in the basement, inviting robberies that put the community at risk.

“To these businesses, I want to offer a word of advice: whatever kind of shop you open, you should do the corresponding business, and do it properly and aboveboard. Don’t ‘hang a sheep’s head and sell dog meat,’” Ms. Yan said angrily.

Damaging the community’s image

Another Chinese resident, wishing to be anonymous, said that after the pandemic, many neighborhood shops suddenly installed slot machines. He noticed at least two laundromats on Eighth Avenue installed the cabinets, used by customers to pass the time while waiting for their laundry.

The laundromats were patronized not only by Chinese, but by people of other ethnicities. He worried that such a scene made it seem “as if Chinese are a group that loves to gamble.”

These laundromats later removed the slot machines and he credits the NYPD Quality of Life Division for cracking down on illegal gambling.

“Obviously laundromat owners cannot keep the doors tightly closed or paste up large posters to block gambling activities,” the man said. “That would make them look suspicious. Rather than getting into trouble with the police, it’s more important to return to proper business.”

According to New York law, outside of authorized settings such as licensed casinos or tribal operations, possessing or operating slot machines or other “gambling devices” is a crime. Promoting gambling and possessing a gambling device are both Class A misdemeanors. If convicted, the maximum penalties include up to 364 days in jail, two to three years of probation, and fines of up to $1,000.