Up through the 1950s one of the criminal charges heard in Pompano's municipal courts had to do with bolita, a form of illegal gambling.

The game was a first brought to the United States from Cuba in the late 19th century and quickly became very popular among Tampa's Hispanic and Italian residents. In its original form, Bolita was a betting game in which 100 numbered balls were put into a bag and small sums of money were wagered on specific numbers being picked (supposedly at random, but the games were frequently fixed).

Bolita spread quickly throughout Florida and was especially prevalent within the state's poorer communities. In Pompano, the defendants in bolita cases were usually black.

Crackdowns on all forms of illegal gambling beginning in the 1950s curtailed organized bolita operations, although it still could be found at the local level. The end of bolita came when the state established its own form of gambling -- the lottery.