In the world of home improvement, a garage door shop is typically the last place you’d expect to uncover a criminal enterprise. After all, who thinks twice about a small business fixing squeaky rollers and malfunctioning remotes? But in Orange County, Florida, what looked like a humble garage door repair shop turned out to be the front for a high-stakes and illegal gambling operation.

On June 9, deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Florida Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), executed a search warrant at what appeared to be a legitimate garage door repair company, purportedly specializing in LiftMaster garage door systems.

But what they found behind those doors wasn’t garage doors or garage door openers. It was eighteen illegal gaming machines, thousands of dollars in unreported cash, and one very surprised community.

Gambling operations disguised as legitimate businesses aren’t just the stuff of crime dramas. They’re real and potentially pose very real threats to public safety. These underground casinos could attract not just gamblers, but a slew of related crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and violence.

They’re also notorious for operating in the shadows of otherwise peaceful neighborhoods, giving law enforcement a complex task: separating the innocent from the illicit.

“Illegal after-hours and gambling clubs pose a significant threat to public safety – and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office will shut you down,” the department warned in a public statement.

The Orange County raid was the result of careful investigation and cooperation with the Florida DGE, which helped identify the signs of unauthorized gaming. The successful bust was a victory not just for law enforcement, but for the surrounding community that might never have guessed what was really happening behind that service bay door.