Body Camera Footage Shows Osceola Deputies Found Illegal Casino at Eclipse Social Club Years Before Sheriff’s Arrest

Newly released body camera footage is putting fresh scrutiny on suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, showing his own deputies walking through rows of illegal slot machines inside the Eclipse Social Club in Kissimmee, Florida, back in September 2022 — nearly three years before Lopez was arrested in connection with the same gambling operation.

The footage, obtained by WKMG News 6, shows deputies conducting what was described as a routine business check at the club on West Irlo Bronson Highway. Instead of a typical inspection, they found a room full of casino-style digital slot machines and other gaming devices, some reportedly displaying payouts of more than $10,000. No arrests were made and the business remained open, a decision prosecutors say allowed the illegal casino to keep operating for nearly two more years.

A Text Message That Changed Everything

According to court records cited by News 6, the club’s operator, Krishna Deokaran, was tipped off that deputies were on site in real time, texting Lopez, “Your deputies is at the Eclipse.” An arrest warrant affidavit alleges Lopez responded, “Let me know if they say anything” — a message prosecutors argue shows the sheriff was actively using his office to protect the gambling business rather than shut it down.

One deputy on scene, Christopher Rumbaugh, documented the discovery in an incident report, writing that he witnessed “a room containing what appeared to be numerous casino style digital slot machines.” Rumbaugh later told Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators that a separate conversation with Deokaran — in which the club owner allegedly claimed to be friends with Lopez and said the sheriff had no issue with the business operating — occurred after his body camera had stopped recording due to what was reported as a device malfunction. The deputy said he reported that exchange to his supervisors, but the club stayed open regardless.

The Case Widens

The Eclipse Social Club business check wasn’t an isolated brush with law enforcement. Records show the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation received a Crime Line tip that same month alleging the club was “operating as a casino.” Undercover Homeland Security Investigations agents later infiltrated the club in April 2024, reporting more rows of illegal slot machines before the business was ultimately raided in August 2024.

Deokaran has since pleaded guilty to money laundering and told investigators he funneled between $600,000 and $700,000 in gambling proceeds to Lopez, often in cash placed inside manila envelopes, according to court records. Lopez’s estranged wife and others connected to the investigation have also entered guilty pleas as the case has expanded well beyond the single 2022 inspection.

Lopez, who was suspended from office following his arrest in June 2025, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges. His attorneys maintain that the newly surfaced evidence is being taken out of context, and Lopez continues to deny using his position to shield the operation. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 11.

What It Means for Florida’s Gray-Market Gambling Fight

The Eclipse Social Club case lands amid a broader, unresolved fight in Tallahassee over unregulated slot machines and gaming rooms operating outside Florida’s tightly controlled market, where the Seminole Tribe holds exclusive rights to most casino-style gaming under its compact with the state. Legislation that would have tightened the legal definition of so-called “amusement” machines and cracked down on non-Seminole gambling operations, HB 189, stalled earlier this year, leaving the same regulatory gray area that allegedly let Eclipse Social Club operate for years without consequence.

For bettors who want a clear, regulated alternative to unlicensed gaming rooms, social casinos and legal sportsbook apps remain the safer route, offering transparent odds and regulatory oversight that operations like Eclipse Social Club were allegedly designed to avoid entirely. As the Lopez case heads toward its August court date, it’s likely to keep fueling calls in Florida for tighter enforcement against illegal gaming rooms statewide.