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A married couple and the owner's mother-in-law were arrested on Wednesday along with an employee in an undercover operation carried out at Royal Arcade Corp., a Hialeah business linked to illegal gambling and money laundering, authorities reported.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol began the investigation in October 2025 into the establishment located at 5440 W. 16th Avenue, according to arrest reports accessed by Telemundo 51.
For months, detectives conducted multiple undercover visits to the business to gamble and found more than 60 electronic gaming machines inside the establishment.
On Wednesday, agents executed a search warrant and arrested the owner, Reyson Morales Monroy, 43, along with his wife Elaine Moreno-Noa, 42; her mother, Carmen Noa-Pantaleón, 61; and the employee Cary Eliany Dueñas-Villaverde, 29.
The financial evidence proved crucial for the money laundering charges against Morales Monroy.
The financial records showed that the earnings reported by Monroy in 2025 were $43,000, a figure that did not match the bank records, which reflected deposits of over $926,000 and withdrawals of over $1 million.
Researchers indicated that Monroy made cash deposits at various bank branches to avoid triggering mandatory reporting thresholds, a practice known as "structuring," which involves breaking down transactions below the $10,000 threshold required by federal law to evade reporting to authorities.
This technique constitutes a crime under both federal and state law in Florida.
Moreno-Noa, Noa-Pantaleón, and Dueñas-Villaverde are facing charges of illegal betting, accepting bets, maintaining a betting house, and possession of a betting device, according to the records. Moreno Monroy faces the same charges along with money laundering.
The case is part of a growing trend of operations against illegal gaming arcades in South Florida.
In February 2026, the Hialeah Police conducted a raid at La Lunita bar that resulted in 14 arrests for illegal gambling, drugs, and the illegal sale of alcohol.
In September 2025, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office arrested two women for operating the Galaxy Arcade in Tamiami under a similar scheme, following an undercover operation in which detectives also placed bets at the establishment.
In Florida, slot machines are only legal in the casinos operated by the Seminole Tribe and in authorized facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward; outside of these contexts, any electronic gaming machine with cash payouts is illegal under Florida Statute 849.
The Attorney General of the state, James Uthmeier, announced a significant tightening of operations for 2026 and urged the Legislature to elevate the penalties for operating gambling houses to a felony level.
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