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Muskegon couple convicted of running illegal gambling businesses

Posted at 5:34 PM, May 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-08 17:35:17-04

LANSING, Mich. — A Muskegon couple has been convicted of felony charges for owning and operating three unlicensed gambling operations.

Bruce Zitka, 69, and his wife, 54-year-old Susan Zitka, were each convicted of three counts of operating a casino without a license and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime. Both are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The charges were filed in 2016 after an investigation determined the couple owned and operated three unlicensed casinos: Fast Lane, Lucky Mouse and the Landing Strip.

Using business and bank records, investigators found the businesses grossed nearly $1 million in revenue in 2015, but the Zitkas wrote most of it off and claimed little in taxes.

A statement from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says illegal gambling operations rob the state’s public schools of important tax revenue.

Bruce Zitka is a former member of the Orchard View Schools Board of Education, which he resigned from in July 2018.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 12.