San Francisco City Attorneys are trying to close four Tenderloin businesses that they say have been operating as illegal casinos and trading spots for drugs and stolen merchandise.
All of the businesses are within a few blocks of each other near Ellis and Jones Streets.
City Attorney David Chiu called the stores the “Wild West.”
On Friday, the city filed several lawsuits against the property owners and managers of the stores for operating illegal operations.
Sunday Nutall says she saw it happening at US Smoke Shop on Ellis Street.
“All them games that they be playing, that they be having up in there,” she said about what was happening at the store at 415 Ellis St.
Nutall lives on the street, just a few blocks away. She says she also saw San Francisco police execute a search warrant back in January.
They seized five gambling machines, pistol magazines, and over $17,000 in cash.
“I remember a bunch of police had the street blocked off and they came and took all the games out but you know what? As soon as they do that they’re going to wait until they leave just to put them back in,” Nutall said, concerned the change is just temporary.
She feels if the gambling machines come back, it will make everyone less safe.
“It does worry me because, like I said, there’s a lot of kids that walk up and down and I feel like it’s not safe for them,” Nutall said.
CBS Bay Area did try to ask an employee of US Smoke Shop about the situation. When asked if he had a comment, he just shook his head.
Just a few feet away from US Smoke Shop at 401 Ellis St. was Family Corner Discounts. It appears to be closed down now.
Also in January, SFPD seized gambling machines, thousands of dollars in cash, and more than 50 grams of meth located under a display shelf at Family Corner.
In March, a similar investigation happened at Ed’s Market at 153 Turk St.
CBS Bay Area spoke to an employee there too, but he said he just works there and didn’t know anything.
Legal analyst Steven Clark says this is an inventive way to combat crime in the Tenderloin.
“The criminal justice system isn’t set up to deal with the problems from these businesses so the city attorney is going through the nuisance lawsuits in order to shut them down,” Clark said.
Clark said they’re trying to send a message to other businesses in San Francisco.
The city attorney believes these types of illegal drug and gambling dens may lead to other crimes.
“Because of the criminal activity associated with these businesses, it draws in exactly the wrong people into the neighborhood and it makes for a very difficult time for the people inside the tenderloin,” Clark said.
The final business was EZ Dollar Discount Store at 335 Jones. There was an eviction notice on their door. In January 2025, SFPD also executed a search warrant there and seized six gambling machines and stolen merchandise on sale with Walgreens, CVS, and other businesses’ branding.
Despite all this, Nutall doesn’t want to see the businesses shut down.
“Probably not shut down,” she said. “And I say that because they do have good business they just have to do their business the right way.”
The attorneys are asking a judge to shut down all the stores for one year and impose a $25,000 fine against each defendant.
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