Hooksett Woman Charged With Illegal Gambling

HOOKSETT, N.H. -- A 52-year-old Hooksett woman was charged Thursday with running a gambling operation out of her rental property business. Police said Dorothy Close set up an illegal video poker parlor in the back of Close Rental that she was running for several years. "We've been aware of gambling at that location," Detective Nick Pinard said. "We've had some people giving us some tips, but nothing that we've been able to move forward and charge anybody with." Police said the break came with a routine traffic stop. Sunday morning, a Hooksett police officer stopped a vehicle for speeding, and the car pulled into the Close Rental lot. When questioned by the officer, the people in the vehicle allegedly said they were at the business to gamble. The officer went inside and allegedly found nine video poker machines set up in two back rooms. The machines were seized, along with $500 in cash. Close turned herself in to police Thursday morning. Since the spring of last year, Hooksett police have seized 30 video poker machines from three different locations in town. Thursday, seven machines from a raid in March 2003 were crushed at the town landfill. Each machine costs about $2,500. Police said in most cases, they know where the gambling is taking place, but the tough part is getting inside. "You can get a lot of information about what's going on, but without being able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there's gambling going on, that people are getting paid off and who's in charge of the whole thing," Pinard said. "People will tell you there's gambling going on all the time, but getting in there and proving it is a different story." Close was released on bail and will be arraigned on gambling charges next month.