Honolulu police seized more than 20 gambling machines, ammunition, drug paraphernalia and cash Wednesday night from an apparent illegal gambling house operating out of a storefront in Palolo.

Honolulu resident Bang Cong Nguyen, 53, was arrested at 8 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of promoting gambling and possession of a gambling device. The search warrant was executed at a white with blue trim building at 1720 Palolo Ave. by HPD’s Narcotics/Vice Division, Specialized Services Division, and District 7 Crime Reduction Unit, according to police.

This marked the second shutdown of an illegal gaming den executed by HPD this month.

Honolulu police seized ten gambling machines, cash, and drugs from an illegal game room in Kalihi on Feb. 4.

Officers with HPD’s Narcotics/Vice and Specialized Services Divisions shut down a portion of the street around a red commercial building and executed a search warrant, according to photos on HPD’s social media feeds.

On Jan. 25, Narcotics/Vice officers and SSD executed a search warrant and confiscated 16 gambling machines and “a large amount of cash” from an illegal game room in Liliha.

On any given day there are between 50 and 80 illegal game rooms operating on Oahu, according to police.

From Jan. 1 through Oct. 22, HPD shut down 45 illegal game rooms and seized 641 gaming machines, surpassing the 37 search warrants executed in 2020.

After executing a warrant at a game room, police served the property owner with a notice that they are subject to HRS 712-1271, which allows the state attorney general, county prosecutors, or a private citizen to file a lawsuit seeking an end to the activity and abatement of the nuisance.