Raid on lottery retailer confirmed illegal gambling activities
By Kate Northrop
A Connecticut Lottery retailer had its license suspended and its owner arrested after investigators discovered illegal slot machines on the premises.
Officials suspended the lottery sales license of a Connecticut Lottery retailer after agents discovered multiple gambling machines being housed at the business.
JJ's News and Variety on Main Street in Windsor Locks is barred from selling all lottery products until further written notice, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) announced last week.
On July 14, 2025, investigators received a tip about the possibility of slot machines at the retailer and staged a visit on-site. There, they questioned store owner Rais Bhura, who led officials to a back room separate from the main area of the store, which is where they discovered five operational slot machines.
In Connecticut, any electronic gaming machines, including slot machines, are illegal outside of the ones housed at Foxwoods Casino and Mohegan Sun Casino.
"It is critical that consumers do not use illegal slot machines if they encounter them in their community," DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli said in a statement. "Illegal slot machines put your money and information at risk, have no age-based restrictions, and offer significantly worse odds than regulated physical slot machines and legal iGaming platforms."
Investigators found that the machines were turned off but plugged in and were capable of printing a paper ticket in the chance of a win, which could be redeemed at another location. The machines were padlocked, but Bhura was only able to provide agents with a key to three of the machines.
All five slot machines were removed from the store and transported to the DCP Gaming Division evidence storage facility, according to a summary suspension order. Investigators plugged in the machines to test them for functionality, which they were. At this time, the direct owner of the machines is unknown.
The store's owner, Rais Bhura, was arrested and charged with one count of engaging in professional gambling and five counts of possession of a gambling device.
"The alleged possession of gambling devices and professional gambling by Mr. Bhura at the Subject Premises demonstrate a lack of integrity and dishonest behavior..." documents read. "...These actions seriously impair JJ's News' reputation for honesty and integrity as a Lottery Sales Agent and present an ongoing threat to lottery customers visiting the store."
JJ's News and Variety's retailer license was first issued by the DCP on Sept. 26, 2023, after which it had been renewed every year since then. The store's current license was set to expire on March 31, 2026, the DCP said.
Wonder when the FEDz are gonna do random on-site visitz to Retail Store'z Lottery Terminalz, ..Ensure certain sides of townz aren't biasely spittin out winning tickets...cauze
There'z a BIG difference btween...
CAVIAR
& Poke N Beanz 
-Stat$talker
oopsy doopsy, have fun in prison.
They way overreacted. Just telling the guy to get rid of the machines or they will suspend his lottery contract would have been enough punishment for an initial violation. Yet they allow Draft Kings and Fan Duel among others to charge .20 lines + on major league baseball games.
You can walk into a casino and cash your lottery ticket, but you can't walk into a lottery retailer, cash your lottery ticket and play a slot machine in the back. Probably because the casinos want you to cash your lottery ticket and hit their slots instead.
they're trying to get a bigger fish by going after the small fish first. the guy they arrested doesn't even have the keys to the padlocks on some of the machines, lol. i hope the cut he was getting was big enough to justify all the trouble he's in now, but i doubt it was.
No big deal ...
What casino cashes lottery tickets?
Right, the feds (who oversee no lottery games at all) are going to test RNGs because some people are nuts and make outrageous claims.
Here's a few.
PRIZES
All Maryland Lottery retailers are authorized to redeem winning tickets with prizes of $600 or less. Winning tickets up to $5,000 can be redeemed at Expanded Cashing Authority Program (XCAP) retail locations. Maryland’s six licensed casinos are authorized to redeem winning Lottery tickets valued up to $25,000. Prizes larger than $25,000 must be claimed at the Lottery’s Claims Center in Baltimore, which is open by appointment only.
https://www.publicgaming.com/news-categories/lottery/12156-hollywood-casino-at-charles-town-races-officially-began-cashing-west-virginia-lottery-traditional-scratch-off-and-draw-game-winning-tickets
https://www.casino.org/news/live-casino-philadelphia-sells-winning-1m-pennsylvania-lottery-ticket/
https://newsroom.mohegansun.com/2013/07/01/mohegan-sun-teams-up-with-the-ct-lottery/
https://www.hollywoodcasinotoledo.com/casino/promotions
https://rwnewyork.com/about/faq/#:~:text=Does%20Resorts%20World%20sell%20and,Sunday%3A%2012pm%20%E2%80%93%205pm
Thanks for the info. Lesson learned about MD lottery.
Other than losing his lottery license nothing will happen to him but that in itself is going to be fairly costly to him.
YW. It took Md a long time to even open the first casino in Sept 2010. Until then residents were going to all the neighboring states to play.
"where they discovered five operational slot machines. "
Were they simply "operational" or were they being actively used?
"Investigators found that the machines were turned off but plugged in and were capable of printing a paper ticket in the chance of a win, which could be redeemed at another location. The machines were padlocked, but Bhura was only able to provide agents with a key to three of the machines. "
I guess that's a "no". Even if they were being used there's a lot of irony in the Department of Consumer Protection going after something that probably only skims 10 or 20% of what the lottery skims from each bet.
"Right, the feds (who oversee no lottery games at all) are going to test RNGs because some people are nuts and make outrageous claims. "
Two downvotes? Does stats have a sockpuppet?
im just here for the comments.