Poker Writer
Law enforcement in Lancaster, California, raided an illegal “tap-tap” casino that, like other so-called “slap houses,” had been a hub for violence, drugs, and other criminal activity. Police in the town 70 miles north of Los Angeles shut down the illegal operation in late January after serving a search warrant.
Police arrested eight individuals, four with felonies and four with misdemeanor charges. They also seized five illegal gambling machines in the raid.
Keep Reading
What is a ‘Tap-Tap’ Casino?
The operation is often known as a tap-tap or, more commonly in California, as slap houses. These names stem from the tap-tap or slapping sound patrons make as they hit the buttons on the gambling machines. The game machines themselves are made primarily in Japan, Korea, or China.
The image released by the Lancaster Sheriff’s Office shows one of the machines. It appears to be a “fish-game” arcade gambling machine. These games allow users to put in small amounts of money and then shoot fish with nets to catch them and hit other items for incremental money rewards. Rapid shooting is beneficial to hitting more items for money, hence the constant tap-tapping.
These games can become popular even to people who don’t usually gamble because they gamify gambling.
Timothy Fong, co-director of the Gambling Studies Program at University of California Los Angeles described the games to the Long Beach Post:
These are not traditional casino games that people are used to, you know, blackjack and craps tables. These are a combination of video games and games of chance that are not available in brick-and-mortar casinos, so that’s why they have their own kind of flavor to them.
Fish Games Also Popular in North Carolina
These fish games are also popular in parts of North Carolina, where authorities are also cracking down. But the owners of these establishments argue that the fish games are games of skill rather than pure chance because of the shooting element.
Unlike in California, the Tar Heel State version of these tap-tap casinos has not had the same level of crime issues.
The owners say the operations do not harm anyone and are simply social clubs where people can get away from their busy lives for a few hours.
In a video by the Charlotte Observer, the owners discuss the benefits of these places and suggest that they’re harmless.
“I want people to enjoy the atmosphere,” one owner said. “They’ve been stressed at home. If they feel like coming to spend $20 and sit without playing … I’m good. So we be having a good ole’ time up in this building here.”
However, local authorities in the video point out the potential for illegal activity and how the establishments can attract the wrong kind of people. And even though crime in North Carolina establishments has not reached the same level as in their California counterparts, there have still been a few incidents to support the authorities’ claims.
In March 2025, a Charlotte-area operation that had had more than 100 gaming machines, with many of them being fish games, was the site of an armed robbery where the manager was shot.
Slap Houses: A Hub For Illegal Activity
In California, these operations often operate behind fake storefronts without a license. They become a hub for various illegal activities, from drug sales and usage to violent crime, including homicides. It is not a new problem, as authorities in nearby Santa Ana cracked down on the slap house issue in 2022.
U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison outlined the growing problem:
The number of illegal gambling dens has exploded during the pandemic, dramatically impacting the quality of life in many Orange County neighborhoods. These illicit businesses are a breeding ground for drug trafficking, violence and even police corruption. We will continue to work with our local and federal law enforcement partners to eradicate this blight in our communities.
This particular tap-tap casino in Lancaster had several shootings within the past year.
According to one YouTube commenter, the owners of the California slap houses often rent residential homes, shade the windows, and soundproof the walls. Some are protected by gangs.
“Methamphetamine is smoked as openly as cigarettes,” the person wrote. “The houses usually operate late at night into the wee hours of the morning. They also sell a wide variety of stolen goods, including power tools and various types of cigars.”
Police released a photo of what the inside of a slap house looked like from a raided site in 2020 in Long Beach.
