Undercover Sheriff’s Office investigation conducted at 1978 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice
On Jan. 28, officers with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Intelligence Unit, Tactical Unit, Special Investigations Section and Patrol Bureau — in cooperation with representatives of the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) — arrested a 28-year-old Venice woman on charges of Keeping and Maintaining a Gambling House and Possession of Slot Machines, the Sheriff’s Office has announced.
Taylor Elise Swim, of 661 Dolphin Road in Venice, was taken into custody “at the ‘41 Social Club,’ ” which is located at 1978 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice, a news release said. Swim was “booked into the Sarasota County Correctional Facility,” the release added.
She was released on Jan. 29 on total bond of $300, her jail booking records says.
Swim’s arraignment was scheduled for Feb. 26, the jail record notes.
The arrest followed a months-long investigation into several illegal gambling operations in Sarasota County, which resulted in the Sheriff’s Office’s obtaining a search warrant for the 41 Social Club, the news release continued. During execution of that warrant, a total of 66 slot machines and U.S. currency “were seized from the business,” the release noted.
Among other items collected at the scene was “the cease-and-desist letter from SCSO that was provided to the business in April 2025,” the release pointed out.
“We will continue our partnership with FGCC, focusing on the same goal of shutting down these illegal gambling businesses in our community,” Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman said in the release. “To our citizens, we hear you, and we will continue to hold them accountable.” The investigation is ongoing, the release pointed out.
This is the third illegal gambling operation involving the Sheriff’s Office and FGCC that The Sarasota News Leader has reported on since early March 2025. The second came in September 2025.
‘A long-term investigation’
The Probable Cause Affidavit in the case explained that the Sheriff’s Office’s Intelligence — or, Intel — Unit “began a long-term investigation into illegal gambling casinos throughout Sarasota County.” It added, “Multiple locations were identified” as home to operations “with slot machine gaming occurring inside the premises.” The Sheriff’s Office “served official Cease-and-Desist letters to many of these illegal casinos” to force their closure, as the letters noted the potential of “law enforcement action” if they remained open, the affidavit continued.
In regard to the 41 Social Club standing at 1978 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice, the affidavit noted, “The front of the business … displayed a large banner … with the name ‘41 Social Club’ above the front door. The windows at this time featured multiple pieces of advertisement artwork of slot machines and ‘777’ jackpot symbols,” the affidavit added.
Sheriff’s Office personnel served a formal cease-and-desist letter on the 41 Social Club on April 1, 2025, the affidavit continued. Sheriff Hoffman had signed it, the affidavit noted.
However, during a visit to the site, Intel detectives “observed multiple rows of illegal slot machine games consistent with past gambling investigations,” the affidavit said.
“On April 11, 2025,” it continued, “Intel detectives conducted a follow-up visit at 41 Social Club after the initial service of the Cease-and-Desist letter. During their visit,” the affidavit said, “the business appeared to have no change in [its] activity … as an illegal casino.”
Then the affidavit pointed out that detectives conducted surveillance at the 41 Social Club late in the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2025. While the casino “appeared to be closed” when those detectives arrived, the affidavit said, at 4:30 p.m. that day, they observed a silver Nissan Altima coupe with a Florida license plate arrive and park in front of the casino. A woman exited the vehicle and used a key to unlock the door to Suite 5, it added. Soon thereafter, it continued, the detectives watched as “multiple patrons” entered the casino.
The detectives learned through a records check that the Altima belonged to Taylor Swim; the driver’s license photo for her matched the appearance of the woman they had seen unlocking the door.
An undercover detective carrying $200 “in pre-recorded currency” entered the premises that night, the affidavit continued. The detective had “participated in multiple prior undercover gambling operations” that included his playing illegal slot machines, it said. He was “equipped with covert audio and video recording equipment for the duration of the visit inside the casino,” the affidavit added.
At the time of the undercover detective’s arrival, the Altima that was registered to Swim was observed “in the same parking spot” where the detectives first saw it.
The undercover detective “immediately observed numerous illegal slot machines spanning all areas of available space inside the casino,” the affidavit continued. The detective estimated the total to be from 50 to 60. The machines “were consistent in their profile, names, appearance, and sound with those that can be found in legal casinos of Florida” and Las Vegas, it said.
Further, the affidavit noted, the undercover detective “did not observe any other employees or agents of the casino”; just Swim.
When the detective finished playing a machine, the affidavit continued, he asked Swim “to cash out” that equipment. When she came over, the affidavit said, she had “a black fanny pack and a large set of keys” of the type “commonly used to access slot machines for retrieving cash or conducting maintenance.”
The undercover detective “printed a voucher slip from the machine and gave it to [Swim].” In turn, she gave him $74 in U.S. currency, it said; the detective put the money in evidence, the affidavit noted.
An Intel detective conducted surveillance of the 41 Social Club again on Dec. 30, the affidavit continued. That detective observed Swim arrive in the same Altima and then watched her use keys in her possession to unlock the door and enter the suite. And, once more, multiple patrons were observed entering the casino, “starting promptly” at 5 p.m.
On Jan. 20, the affidavit said, undercover detectives entered the 41 Social Club with $200 in pre-recorded currency. After they observed Swim at the front counter, the affidavit noted, she introduced herself to them, using the name “Taylor,” and asked if they were interested in a type of match play, explaining “the benefits for the machines.”
She also told them to call her over when they were ready to cash out, the affidavit added.
Following a process similar to that described by the first undercover detective, the affidavit explained how Swim provided the winnings of $120 and $68 to the detectives, which they placed into evidence.
“Based on the totality of the circumstances of this investigation,” the affidavit said, the Intel unit charged Swim with Keeping/Maintaining a Gambling House and Possession of Slot Machines.