Police Raid Gambling Establishment

Officers with the Texarkana, Arkansas Police Department came knocking on the door of an alleged gambling establishment around 3 pm Wednesday afternoon. Investigators have been watching what has been going on at the Tropical Oasis on Broad Street for a little over a month. Officers say no Mai Tai`s served here, but plenty of cash payouts. In Arkansas, its illegal for businesses to pay cash when playing games of chance. Arkansas state law stipulates that any prizes awarded to players of "video poker" or any other type of gambling machines may only be toys or items of little or no value. Officers found 29 8-liner machines inside the building and 20 or so people playing them. They say pay outs ranged from $20 to $600 at times. Many of the patrons didn`t stick around for long after officers arrived. It`s been a few years since a gambling operation has been raided on the Arkansas side of town. Officials say more are cropping up and they plan to put a stop to it. But in future busts, authorities plan to arrest everyone they find inside these establishments. Three arrests have been made in Wednesday`s raid. The Tropical Oasis manager, 26 year old Christina Wade of Texarkana, Texas, was arrested on the site. The owners of the establishment, 42 year old Kenneth Bowman and 40 year old Mary Bowman, both of Texarkana, Texas, were later arrested at the Bi-State Justice Center. Both Bowmans and Wade are charged with Keeping a Gambling House. They`re being held at the Bi-State, and no bond has been set. This case is still under investigation and more arrests may develop.