Bulger, the former leader of the Irish Mob in Boston, was bludgeoned to death in October 2018 with a lock attached to a belt by Fotios “Freddy” Geas, according to prosecutors, although Geas claims he used his fist.

The 89-year-old Bulger was wheelchair-bound and in frail health when he was attacked just hours after being transferred to USP Hazelton, W.V. His eyes were nearly gouged out and his tongue almost cut off.

But he was also a long-time FBI informant. Bulger’s cooperation with the feds helped to put many of his competitors in prison, while allowing him to his run his operations with impunity for many years. It also earned him a lot of enemies.

Who is Fotios Geas?

Geas is reputedly an associate of the Genovese crime family who could not become a made man because he has Greek ethnicity, not Italian. He operated as an enforcer for the family out of Springfield, Mass., often working with his brother, Ty Geas.

The Genovese family is allied with the Patriarca Crime Family, also known as the New England Mafia, which was severely weakened by Bulger’s FBI cooperation.

Initially charged with murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in relation to Bulger’s death, Geas ultimately pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. His new sentence will be served consecutively with his existing life sentence.

Fellow inmate Paul J. DeCologero, who acted as a lookout during the attack, was sentenced to more than four years in prison in August on an assault charge. A third prisoner, Sean McKinnon, pleaded guilty in June to lying to the FBI in relation to the incident. He was given no additional prison time.

16-Year Fugitive

Bulger famously went on the run in 1994 when his FBI handler, John Connolly, tipped him off that the feds were building a case against him.

The gangster was a fugitive for the next 16 years, until agents traced him to an apartment in Santa Monica where he had been living quietly with his partner, Catherine Greig.

In November 2023, Bulger was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for murder racketeering.

The post ‘Whitey’ Bulger Killer Gets Extra 25 Years in Prison appeared first on Casino.org.

Coleman’s legal guidance said the General Assembly’s ban on skill games passed in 2023 and signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear (D) that March applies to no-chance games.

The law is clear — gray machines and other games like them are illegal gambling devices that have no place in Kentucky,” said Coleman. “Along with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners across Kentucky, we will uphold the law as passed by our Commonwealth’s policymakers in the General Assembly.”

Coleman’s office estimates that more than 500 risk-free gaming machines are operating unlawfully in Kentucky. The games are commonly found in restaurants and bars, convenience stores, and gas stations.

No Dice for New Games

Before the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 594, skill games proliferated in the Bluegrass State.

Pace-O-Matic and Prominent challenged the law on various allegations but lost in court. The two companies removed their games from their many partnered businesses, but Prominent returned with so-called risk-free games. The machines began appearing in businesses in early 2024.

Risk-free and no-chance games include no elements of skill, and, according to Prominent, no element of chance. The games tell the player whether the next spin will win or lose before making a bet.

Players continue to play to reach the next play that does win. Coleman says these games are also illegal under HB 594.

“You and your office are free to investigate and prosecute any violations of the Commonwealth’s gambling laws, including the laws related to gray machines. We are prepared to provide whatever assistance your office may need if your investigation or prosecution of illegal gray machines is challenged in court or results in additional constitutional challenges to the law or litigation against your office,” Coleman told state and county prosecutors.

Coleman opined that risk-free games “lure” in players by enticing them to continue betting in hopes of reaching a win.

This hope that the subsequent gameplay will be a winner is the ‘element of chance’ that makes these so-called ‘Risk-Free’ games illegal gambling devices,” Coleman concluded. “There is no safe harbor in Kentucky’s gambling laws for this kind of game.”

HB 594 provides for a fine of up to $25K per machine that remains operational in violation of the skill game ban.

Kentucky Tough on Unregulated Gaming?

Kentucky doesn’t have commercial or tribal casinos but does allow its horse racetracks and parimutuel facilities to operate slot-like historical horse racing (HHR) machines. The games calculate whether a spin wins or loses based on a previously run horse race instead of a random number generator.

Churchill Downs, which operates more HHR devices in Kentucky than any other company, lobbied heavily for the skill game ban to protect its parimutuel wagering operations.

The post Kentucky Attorney General Says No-Chance Games Illegal Under State’s Skill Game Ban appeared first on Casino.org.

The Alabama Attorney General’s Office has now charged five men with stealing the machines after they were found last week in Jay’s Charity Bingo in the city of Lipscomb, more than 80 miles north of Selma.

The terminals disappeared from the backroom of Selma Charity Bingo after the Attorney General’s Office conducted a raid last month and served a temporary restraining order on the business. The machines remained at the Selma venue while authorities waited to obtain a seizure order.

Brazen Theft

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told AL.com his agents knew they had found the missing machines when they raided the business in Lipscomb because they still had the evidence stickers on them.

“The brazen nature of stealing something that has an evidence sticker on it just shows you how far some of these people will go,” Marshall marveled.

Marshall said his office received a report from Dallas County’s Sheriff’s Department, which covers Selma, that the machines were missing. It’s unclear how they were traced to Jay’s Charity Bingo.

The businesses are not believed to be connected. It’s likely the thieves realized the machines would be locked up in the shuttered Selma Charity Bingo because they had read about the temporary restraining order in the news.

The vehicle in which we shut these businesses down was through a civil order enjoining the business from operating while we prove through litigation that those in fact are gambling machines,” Marshall told AL.com. “In essence, it’s not the historic go in and raid and seize the machines and carry them off,” he said.

Court records show that Charles Allen Robinson, 52, Charles Vanderford Jr., 61, Eric Daniel Hurt, 39, Michael Ray, 56, and William Patrick Humphries are all charged with third-degree burglary in the case.

Marshall said it was ironic that the suspects are facing a felony charge while the owners of Selma Charity Bingo will only be charged with a misdemeanor.

Legal Battles

The legality of electronic bingo machines was the cause of years of legal disputes in Alabama. Operators said the machines conformed to the state’s bingo laws while aping the look and feel of Vegas-style slots.

The matter was settled in October 2022, when the state’s Supreme Court determined that only traditional bingo games were legal.

Marshall, who had long seen the machines as “a?menace to public health, morals, safety, and welfare,” began enforcing the prohibition shortly after. Multiple gaming halls offering illegal gambling were shut down on the same day as Selma Charity Bingo.

The post Seized Illegal Alabama Gaming Machines Vanish, Resurface in New Bingo Hall appeared first on Casino.org.

He faces as much as 15 years behind bars for money laundering and operating an illegal gambling business, according to the Nevada Current. He also could be forced to pay up to $500K in fines when he’s eventually sentenced.

Prosecutors claim he gambled $148M between January 2022 and December 15, 2023 at an unspecified Las Vegas casino.

Gambled at Resorts World

LeForbes lost about $12.3M in close to 50 visits to Resorts World, the Current?reported.

But authorities didn’t say if the $148M gaming total was at Resorts World or another gaming property.

LeForbes also reportedly presented a bad check for $2.5M to Resorts World, according to the?Current.

In addition, LeForbes used hosts at the unnamed casino to find him customers, Las Vegas TV station KSNV reported. He also was paid in casino chips from gamblers, the report added.

LeForbes additionally operated an illegal sportsbook for at least five years in California, according to KSNV.

Last month, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) revealed it wants to financially penalize Resorts World Las Vegas after the casino allegedly let illegal bookmakers gamble without saying from where the money came.

Bowyer Case

Among those named in the NGCB filing was California bookie Mathew Bowyer, 49. In August, he pled guilty to operating an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return.

He reportedly “transferred or directed the transfer” of at least $9.3M to Resorts World Las Vegas, according to ESPN.

Among Bowyer’s customers were pro athletes, and Ippei Mizuhara, the man who translated for MLB Los Angeles Dodgers star player Shohei Ohtani. Mizuhara stole some $17M from Ohtani to pay off massive gambling debts. Ohtani is seen as a victim.

Also, the NGCB filing named Edwin Ting and Chad Iwamoto. They both were convicted of illicit gambling. Ting is “known to have ties to organized crime,” the NGCB statement revealed.

Federal prosecutors haven’t charged Resorts World Las Vegas, the Current reported. A casino spokesperson has said the gaming property is cooperating with authorities.

MGM Resorts is paying $7.5M for violations at both MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan, according to the?Current. Each signed a non-prosecution agreement with federal authorities, the Current revealed.

LeForbes also owes $1M to The Venetian, the Current has reported.

The post Pro Poker Player Faces Up To 15 Years in Prison After Admitting Wrongdoing — Report appeared first on Casino.org.

Mohammad “Moe” Diab, 48, of Glendale, Calif., and Amy Rountree, 41, of Logan, Utah, pleaded guilty to one count each of bank fraud conspiracy in a federal court in Boston Wednesday. They face up to 30 years in prison.

Diab and Rountree were employees of Allied Wallets, a payment processing company headquartered in Glendale, Calif. The company was owned by one-time billionaire Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja, now a fugitive from justice who US authorities are attempting to extradite from Lithuania.

Transaction Washing

Allied Wallets was involved in a fraudulent practice known as “transaction washing,” where digital transactions for illegal or high-risk merchants are disguised as legitimate payments.

In addition to online gambling transactions, Allied tricked banks and credit companies into processing payments for businesses involved in debt relief, online pharmaceuticals, and payday lending, according to prosecutors.

Diab, Allied’s chief operating officer, and Rountree, its VP of operations, were arrested by federal agents in August 2021, along with another employee, Thomas Wells, 74, of Martin County, Fla. Wells pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in October 2021 and is awaiting sentencing.

Khawaja Campaign Donations

Khawaja was arrested in Lithuania in September 2020 on an international warrant. US officials asked that he remain in custody pending extradition proceedings, which are ongoing.

According to a June 2023 report by Lithuanian news outlet LRT, Khawaja has been released on bail by Lithuanian authorities. Although he claims to have no money to repay the millions he is accused of acquiring fraudulently, he is currently staying at one of the most luxurious hotels in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, per LRT.

In 2016, he held a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid, illegally transferring $3.5 million to the campaign, according to prosecutors. Then, just weeks after the election, he met the newly elected Donald Trump, donating $1 million to his inauguration campaign, per the AP.

In 2020, Khawaja claimed he was being targeted by federal authorities because he had compromising information about Trump.

The post Two Plead Guilty in $150M Allied Wallets Fraud appeared first on Casino.org.

Louis Ferrari II, 42, and Dominic Sprague 40, were arrested in February 2023, the culmination of an investigation into their operation involving federal agencies, New York State Police, and the Rochester Police Department.

The arrests came despite the efforts of then-New York State Police Sergeant Thomas J. Loewke to warn the defendants that the heat was closing in.

Underground Poker Room

As well as running an illegal sports betting through a website called sport700.com that generated around $2K per day for the pair, Ferrari and Sprague coowned an underground poker room in an office complex on Rochester’s Blossom Rd.

Codefendants Anthony Amato, Joseph Lomardo, Joseph Boscarino, and James Cilvetti acted as “agents” of the bookmaking operation. Another, Tommaso Sessa, managed the day-to-day operations of the poker room, according to prosecutors.

Ferrari also owned an excavating business in Rochester, which washed the illegal proceeds of the operation.

In addition to the probation time and home detention period, Ferrari was ordered to forfeit $150K and Sprague $92,000K.

Loewke learned of the investigation from an unnamed state trooper who by chance saw an affidavit sitting on a senior detective’s desk with Ferrari’s name on it.

The trooper, who had entered the detective’s office to perform computer maintenance, later told prosecutors he had informed Loewke because he knew of his gambling problem and didn’t want him to get into trouble.

Damning Wiretap

At this time, federal agents were wiretapping the suspects’ phones, and, on January 2, 2001, they intercepted a call between Ferrari and Sprague that gave them cause for concern.

Ferrari told Sprague he had been approached by someone he knew from NYSP at his brother’s pizza bar, who told him he was under investigation. Toward the end of the conversation, Ferrai let slip his informant was someone known as “TJ,” which was Loewke’s first two initials.

Loewke was convicted of obstruction of a state or local law enforcement investigation and sentenced to two years’ probation by a federal judge?in December 2023. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay a $4K fine.

The post New York State Illegal Betting Ringleaders Linked to Corrupt Cop Sentenced appeared first on Casino.org.

An unspecified quantity of cocaine also was found in bags stored in a walk-in beer cooler at Cocchia’s Liquor Store on Ely Avenue, according to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). In addition, officials discovered gambling receipts in the business.

The gambling machines pay out cash collected at the front counter by providing a receipt ticket from the gambling device, and are illegal,” according to a statement from the Norwalk Police Department.

DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli suspended the store’s alcohol sales license and lottery ticket sales license.

Norwalk police raided the business on Wednesday after getting a search warrant.

It is clear this establishment is a danger to public health and safety,” Cafferelli said in a statement. “In addition to this action today, our team will be investigating all other establishments associated with the ownership of Cocchia’s to ensure there is no further risk to the community.”

The investigation began after Norwalk police got a tip from an informant that a person identified as “Felix” was selling cocaine out of the liquor store, according to police.

Undercover officers were able to purchase illegal drugs at the business. Police identified the suspect as Felix Galindo-Castillo, 48, of Norwalk, also known as “Cocchie,” authorities said.

Mexican Gang Founder

It turns out he’s the founder of “Los Vagos,” a gang based in Mexico, police said. The gang is linked to violent street activities, police revealed.

Galindo-Castillo was arrested for sale of narcotics, conspiracy to commit the sale of narcotics, possession of narcotics, and conspiracy to commit possession of narcotics.

He had suspected cocaine in his possession when he was apprehended.

He also has a pending federal arrest warrant for illegal re-entry into the US, authorities said. As a result of the warrant, he was charged with being a fugitive from justice. Bail was set at $1M.

An employee, Jose Gerardo Fuentes-Lima, 44, of Norwalk, was also found to be in possession of cocaine, according to police. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance, illegal gambling, sale of a narcotic substance, and conspiracy to commit the sale of a narcotic substance. His bail was set at $55K.

Prior Search

In September 2022, Norwalk police officers and state liquor control agents confiscated gambling machines, gambling receipts, an unspecified amount of cash, and suspected cocaine during a prior raid of the same business. The outcome of that case is unknown.

The post Connecticut Gambling Raid Leads to Seizure of Seven Gaming Machines, $5K appeared first on Casino.org.

Cynthia Patel, from Dayton, Ohio, claims she purchased the Golden Nugget six months before it was raided by the police, The Palm Beach Post reports.

She argues the money belongs to the business that generated it, and she wants the 15^th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida to order the city to give it back.

Florida Crackdown

The Golden Nugget was targeted as part of a wave of raids against illegal slot machines at adult arcades across the state. Since the pandemic, there had been a marked increase in new arcades springing up in strip malls or in vacant stores.

Slot machines that give out cash or prizes are illegal in Florida outside the?Seminole Tribe’s?six reservations and certain pari-mutuel facilities in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

He was sentenced to 14 days’ time served and ordered to pay court fees of $900. The Golden Nugget’s manager, Nicholas Fiore, pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to eight days’ time served.

Case Called ‘Absurd’

City Attorney R. Max Lohman told The Post he was incredulous about Patel’s complaint. He described it as “highly suspect” because she had provided no evidence that she owned the arcade. He also labeled it “absurd,” as the cash had been confiscated because the business had been breaking the law.

The city filed to seize the money through?civil forfeiture, a legal process that permits authorities to commandeer property linked to crimes

If you make money selling cocaine, you don’t get the cocaine or the money back,” Lohman said. “In this case, the money is in fact the cocaine. The money wasn’t just the instrumentality of the crime. It is the crime.”

“While it is cash, it is contraband cash,” he added. “It is proceeds from an illegal operation.”

The case is scheduled to be heard by Circuit Judge Luis Delgado on August 23.

The post Florida Gambling Den Owner Wants Confiscated $142K Back appeared first on Casino.org.

The group, dubbed “Vigorish Viper” by cybersecurity investigator Infoblox, appears to be the missing link between China-facing sports betting brands — many of which have sponsored major European soccer teams — and Chinese organized crime tied to human trafficking and money laundering.

Vigorish Viper provides these brands with a full technology suite, including software, DNS configurations, website hosting, payment mechanisms, and mobile apps, according to Infoblox. It also appears to own many seemingly unconnected brands, such as Yabo Sports, Kaiyun Sports, KM Gaming, BOB Sports, KOK Sports, Ponymuah, and SKG.

Yabo Human Trafficking Links

Infoblox claims to be “highly confident” that Vigorish Viper’s technology suite was developed by the Yabo Group. A 2023 study by the Asian Racing Foundation (ARF) concluded that Yabo controls “possibly the biggest illegal gambling operation targeting Greater China.”

Yet the ARF study cites reports that have directly tied Yabo to forced labor camps on the Cambodia-Laos border, where trafficked victims must help run gambling operations and scam call centers.

Yabo Regroups

Yabo was dissolved in 2022 after a crackdown by Chinese authorities coincided with regulatory sanctions in the UK.

But Infoblox has discovered that the remnants of Yabo were essentially laundered into a group of new brands, including Kaiyun Sports, KM Gaming, Ponymuah, and SKG.

We found that the brands at the center of these labor camps are connected in multiple ways, including through their use of Vigorish Viper’s technology suite,” Infoblox investigators wrote. “While these brands appear distinct, they operate more like the branches of a franchise.

“Although our research indicates that Vigorish Viper is likely synonymous with Yabo, the real identities behind Yabo remain unknown. As such, Yabo itself is merely one face for an unknown organized crime syndicate,” Infoblox added.

For deals with high-profile soccer teams, sites like Yabo have hired male models to pose as their CEOs during publicity shoots. Their real owners are hidden behind a opaque tangle of shell companies and false identities,

White-Label Loophole

China-facing sportsbooks have legally been able to strike deals with European sports teams typically because they are nominally licensed in European jurisdictions through partnerships with so-called “white label” operators.

The reality is that the China-facing sportsbook has no interest in engaging with the European market, but wants to use European soccer as a springboard to the Chinese market, where promoting gambling is illegal.

Still Going Strong

In 2023, following media reports criticizing these partnerships, the UK Gambling Commission sanctioned white-label provider TGP Europe for “anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures.”

It also suspended 14 China-facing sportsbooks, 11 of which were associated with Vigorish Viper, including Yabo, and seized their UK domains.

However, TGP Europe remains a white-label provider for five Vigorish Viper brands, while at least eight top English soccer clubs currently have sponsorship deals with brands linked to the network, according to the Infoblox investigation.

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The POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) sector is largely dominated by Chinese nationals. It thrived under former president Rodrigo Duterte, who was content to license and tax the POGOs provided they didn’t take bets from Philippine citizens. Instead, they target China, where all forms of online gambling are illegal.

Crime and Espionage

There’s been increasing anxiety about the industry in the Philippines. Many POGOs been found to have trafficked workers to toil in hidden scam centers as virtual slaves. And, at a time of heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputed territories in the South China Sea, there are concerns the POGOs represent a potential threat to national security.

The ban comes amid an ongoing Senate investigation into the industry and links to organized crime. The investigation has focused on the identity and activities of Alice Guo, a small-town mayor who has been accused of being a Chinese spy involved in human trafficking via her connections to a local POGO.

Disguising as legitimate entities, their operations have ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture – even murder. The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop,” Marcos told lawmakers to a standing ovation during his annual State of the Nation address.

There are?46 licensed POGOs in the Philippines and maybe as many as 400 unlicensed outfits, according to government estimates. On Tuesday, the gaming regulator, PAGCOR, said it would begin annulling licenses. Marcos said he wants a complete shutdown of the sector by the end of the year.

The POGOs are estimated to employ 40K people directly and indirectly. The regulated industry generates an estimated 166.5bn pesos (US$2.9bn) of revenue a year.

Workers Rescued

In March, more than 800 Filipinos, Chinese, and other nationals were rescued from a scam center posing as a POGO about 70 miles north of Manila.

Over 4,000 POGO-linked crimes — including kidnapping and murder — were reported between 2017 and 2023, according to police data.

Incredibly, police have also uncovered underground hospitals based inside POGO compounds. These are used to treat trafficked workers and to?provide cosmetic alterations to fugitives to help them evade capture, according to authorities.

The post Philippines Bans $3B POGO Industry appeared first on Casino.org.

The suspect, Nimit Patel, 40, was charged for allegedly paying game winners in merchandise, but then exchanging the winning tickets for cash via a third person, according to officers assigned to the West Tennessee Drug Task Force.

During the raid, officers seized $4,208, two gambling machines, ledgers, and payout slips, police said.

The business was identified as “The Country Store” also known as “E & T Gas” in Gadsden, Tenn., according to Tennessee TV station WBBJ.

Police were tipped off about possible illegal activity taking place at the business, which led to an investigation by undercover officers who gathered enough evidence for a search warrant to be issued by a local judge.

Car Stolen from Casino Lot

A Nissan Altima sedan was stolen from Delaware Park Casino in Wilmington on Friday afternoon.

State troopers arrested Breana Brooks of Dover, 28, for theft of a motor vehicle, according to a statement from Delaware State Police.

Brooks then went into the parking lot and eventually matched the keys to the Nissan left in the parking lot, police said.

State troopers were able to identify Brooks as the suspect after reviewing casino security footage.

Brooks was spotted in the stolen car on Saturday before being arrested by Dover Police Department officers. She was booked at Delaware’s Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution with bail set at $2,000.

Police didn’t reveal why Brooks allegedly stole the car.

The post Casino Crime Roundup: Tennessee Business Raided for Illegal Gambling appeared first on Casino.org.

The far-reaching enforcement targeted two websites, wm88 and x-stand, as well as other operations, according to khaosodenglish.com, a Thai news outlet.

The two sports betting websites had revenue of 1.4 billion baht (US $38.1M) between January and June alone, according to government estimates.

During a search of a Thong Lor residence, located in Bangkok, police seized 13,830,000 baht (US $376,460), as well as $3,200 in US currency.

Authorities also seized such luxury vehicles as a Bentley, a Mercedes-Benz, and a GWM Tank SUV, as well as confiscated several residences.

The total value of assets was 22,580,000 baht (US $614,672), officials said.

Xiang Zhang, 42, and Zhang Huiqing, 37, both of China, were arrested. The couple told authorities their resources didn’t come from gambling but proceeds from selling a Chinese advertising firm, according to the news report. They also invest in cryptocurrency.

Another search took place at a condo in Phrom Phong, a neighborhood in Bangkok. Assets seized there totaled 287,396,713 baht (US $7,823,513).

Jun Xia, 36, a Chinese national, and four Thai nationals, were charged following the Phrom Phong raid.

The charges against the key suspects are illegal electronic gambling and money laundering, according to the report.

Further arrests are possible.

1,826 Arrested Recently

The latest arrests follow prior charges that took place between June 14 and Thursday.

Of the 248 suspects arrested, 28 were organizing the illegal online activity. The other 220 were gambling. Sixty-two illegal sports betting websites were shuttered.

The total amount being wagered was 1,400,150,007 baht (US $38M).

In addition, illegal gambling was discovered at various brick-and-mortar gaming dens. It led to the apprehension of 1,578 suspects.

Of these, 1,503 were players. Sixty-five were bookies and 10 were runners.

The sports betting cases were investigated by the official Technology Crime Suppression Division and the Technology Crime Investigation Bureau.

Prison Possible

When announcing the arrests and seizures, officials warned that gambling is against the law and those arrested will be prosecuted in courts. That includes those who organize the operations, promote the betting, and those who gamble.

If found guilty, defendants face up to two years in prison and may be forced to pay a fine. Additional penalties can be imposed if it turns out children were involved in the gambling.

The post Thailand Authorities Arrest Hundreds, Seize Millions From Illegal Betting on Euro 2024 Football appeared first on Casino.org.

Nine people were gambling inside the operation during the raid, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). One was charged with possession of a controlled substance and another with visiting a prohibited gambling den.

Eight suspects were warned not to take part in illegal gambling. In the future, they could be charged if they return to an illicit gambling operation, according to SDPD Lt. Jason Scott.

Initially, SDPD officers were tipped off about suspicious activity in the apartment over a business in the Kensington neighborhood.

They investigated and then presented evidence to a local court and were given a warrant to search the property.

Local police want to curb Illegal gambling, especially because it can lead to other crimes, authorities warn.

Illegal gambling dens often attract other criminal activity to the area including narcotics, prostitution, gang-related activity, noise and fighting, and people coming and going at all hours,” Scott was quoted by City News Service.

SDPD’s vice unit and SWAT teams joined patrol officers in the raid.

Michigan Bar Raided

Six slot machine-style devices and $5,161 were seized this month in a raid of a Saginaw, Mich. bar.

Authorities also confiscated $2,820 in gift cards from the Red Horse Bar, Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) officials revealed on Thursday.

The raid took place on June 5 after law enforcement officers investigated a tip from a private citizen about suspicious activity taking place at the bar.

Ignored Warning

The MGCB issued a cease-and-desist letter to the owners of the operation. But alleged illegal activities continued there.

Michigan State Police and the Attorney General’s office assisted MGCB investigators in the inquiry.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring compliance with all state gambling regulations,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said in a statement. “We will continue to work diligently to identify and eliminate any illegal gambling activities that pose a threat to the integrity of the industry and the welfare of the public.”

Owners Christopher and Nicholas Adams were arrested on gambling charges. They appeared in local court on June 6. Each was released after posting $6K bonds. Charges are pending.

The post Gambling Raids Take Place in San Diego, Michigan appeared first on Casino.org.

The June 11 ruling by Western Washington District Court?Judge Tiffany Cartwright?could put the company on the hook for millions in damages under the state’s Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act (RMLGA). That’s real money, not play chips.

Cartwright agreed with the plaintiff in the case, former player?Rick Larsen,?that the games violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA), as well as RMLGA.

Damages to be Determined

Larsen first filed the class-action lawsuit against High 5 Games in 2018. High 5 Casino and High 5 Vegas players receive virtual coins for free when they register on tech platforms like Facebook, Google Play, and the App Store.

Once they blow through their virtual bankroll, they need to purchase additional coins with real money if they want to continue playing. Larsen spent $7,470.50?while playing the apps, according to court documents.

As a class-action lawsuit, anyone who purchased virtual currency for one of the apps in Washington after April 9, 2014, could qualify to receive a damages payout.

The RMLGA states that all “persons losing money or anything of value … on any illegal gambling games shall have a cause of action to recover …? from the proprietor for whose benefit such game was played … the value of the thing so lost.”

Subpoenas served by Larsen’s lawyers on Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook revealed that Washington residents spent more than $21.6 million on the apps between 2014 and 2023. However, the judge didn’t accept this as a definitive figure and determined damages should be decided by a jury pending further discovery.

Something of Value

Cartwright relied on a legal precedent in making her decision. In March 2018, federal judge Milan D. Smith of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the virtual play chips used in the games of another social casino, Big Fish, could be considered to be “something of value,” under Washington State law.

Washington differs from other states where similar cases have been brought in ascribing “value” to virtual playing chips.

Plaintiffs in the Big Fish case ultimately shared a $155 Million settlement. High 5’s virtual coins “function identically” to those of Big Fish, Cartwright determined.

The post High 5 Social Casino Ruled Illegal in Washington, Players to Be Paid Back appeared first on Casino.org.

Today, Morris is one of the owners of Bovada, the biggest offshore online gambling site that takes bets in the US. This week, Connecticut joined Michigan in asking the Olympian to back off or face legal action.

Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division (DCP) told Sports Betting Dime that it would send a cease-and-desist letter to Bovada within the week.

Michigan regulators sent a similar communication to the online gambling giant on May 29. The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) gave the company 14 days from receipt of the letter to pull its operations in the state or face legal consequences.

State Law Breach

Since both states have licensed and regulated online gaming, Bovada’s continued presence there constitutes black market rather than gray market operations.

The site has previously agreed to stop targeting players in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Nevada when those states passed laws prohibiting unlicensed operators.

The MGCB confirmed to Sports Betting Dime that in its view Bovada was currently acting in violation of state laws.

These are, specifically, the Lawful Internet Gaming Act and the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act — both of which prohibit offering internet gambling without a license from the state – as well as the Michigan Penal Code, which broadly prohibits illegal gambling.

Who’s Behind Bovada?

Bovada emerged from Bodog, the pioneering online gaming brand founded by Calvin Ayre. The Canadian established the brand in 2000 at a time when it was impossible to apply for an online gaming license in the US, and the legality of the offshore industry was unclear.

Bodog made Ayre a billionaire, but he sold the US-facing business after the enactment of the federal Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, which prohibited financial institutions from processing online gambling bets.

In 2009, MMGG changed the name to Bovada and migrated Bodog’s players to a new platform. In or around 2017, a company called Harp Media BV took a position in the company. Based in Curacao, the ownership structure of Harp Media is opaque.

Legal Troubles

In February 2012, the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency seized the Bodog.com domain for alleged illegal gambling activities, although at the time it was inactive.

At the same time, despite having officially quit the business, Ayre was indicted by the US Attorney for Maryland on charges of illegal gambling and money laundering. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge and all other charges were vacated.

The plaintiff accuses the defendants of profiting from illegal gambling in the state and seeks to recover losses. Kentucky has a 200-year-old gambling claw-back law, the Loss Recovery Act, which was designed to protect the families of destitute gamblers.

In 2010, the State of Kentucky used the act to sue PokerStars for offering illegal gambling. PokerStars settled the case for $300 million after a decade of litigation.

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Christos Karasarides Jr., 59, owned the Canton-area gaming parlor the Skilled Shamrock. With Ronald DiPietro, 65, he co-owned Redemption Skill Games 777, and others.

Last Friday, Karasarides was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison for charges including tax evasion, money laundering, illegal gambling, and obstruction. DiPietro received nine years and four months on illegal gambling and tax charges.

Under Ohio law, skill games aren’t permitted to offer cash payouts, only gift cards with a value no greater than $10. Karasarides’ and DiPietro’s businesses were flouting those rules and raking in millions.

The Skilled Shamrock alone generated revenues of about $34 million between 2012 and 2017, netting a $7 million profit, according to court documents.

Tax Dodge

Karasarides and DiPietro attempted to conceal their ownership of their gambling empire by appointing nominee owners via sham contracts.

They also failed to report or pay taxes on most of the income they received while splurging on luxury vehicles, country club memberships, and high-end property. The men kept large amounts of cash and silver in their homes or at properties they controlled.

Karasarides would also take extravagant gambling trips, betting millions at legal casinos throughout the country, according to prosecutors.

DiPietro was a certified public accountant, and he helped Karasarides falsify his tax returns. Karasarides caused a total tax loss to the IRS of $5.4 million, and DiPietro $4.7 million, prosecutors stated.

Karasarides persuaded people to lie for him during the investigation, including a witness who had received a federal grand jury subpoena to testify in the case.

10 Indicted

The two men were among 10 people indicted last July for links to illegal slots parlors. Among them were several nominee owners of Karasarides’ and DiPietro’s businesses, including Karasarides’ son, Christopher Karasarides.

Another hidden partner in the Skilled Shamrock, Larry Dayton, pleaded guilty last July to defrauding the government. He was ordered to spend three years in prison for hiding his ownership of the facility and concealing more than $2 million in revenue from the taxman.

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Su Jianfeng pleaded guilty last week to one count of money laundering under Singapore’s Corruption, Drug Trafficking, and Other Serious Crimes Act, and one count of forgery. He has also agreed to forfeit S$178.9 million (US$132 million) of his assets to Singaporean authorities.

The first charge relates to his possession of S$551K (US$407K) — the proceeds of running an illegal gambling operation from the Philippines, according to prosecutors. The second was for fraudulently using a forged property sale contract to explain the source of deposits into his bank account.

Case Shocked Singapore

Su was a major cog in a S$3 billion (US$2.2 billion) money laundering machine that shocked the island nation when it was uncovered in August 2023.

He may be the last defendant to be sentenced, but other members remain at large, and authorities believe the network could have included hundreds of individuals. The other nine defendants in the case received prison terms of between 12 and 16 months.

The case has sparked reviews of banking regulations in the financial hub, which has long welcomed the super-wealthy to its shores.

Fujan Clan

While all defendants were originally from China’s Fujan province, some held numerous passports from countries like Cambodia, Cyprus, and Dominica – all jurisdictions where citizenship can be bought by wealthy individuals as part of an “investment scheme.”

Su was officially a joint Vanuatu national. A passport from the South Pacific Island nation can be acquired for an outlay of $130K, according to its government’s website.

He arrived in Singapore with his family in 2019 and claimed to be a property dealer who traded real estate in Dubai. He had previously lived in Malaysia and then the Philippines, where the online gambling operations were based, but came to Singapore because he wanted his children to study there.

Forged Document

In August 2021, when the financial crime compliance unit at Su’s bank in Singapore asked him to explain two suspicious deposits totaling around S$2 million, he supplied a sales contract for a Dubai property that turned out to be forged.

Besides the charge involving S$550,903, which Su accepted as part of his plea deal, prosecutors asked for three similar charges to be taken into consideration. Two involved S$5 million (US$3.7 million) each and the third involved S$7 million (US$5 million).

This is indicative of the scale and significance of the accused’s offending and demonstrates a high degree of disregard for the law on the part of the accused,” chief prosecutor Tan Kiat Pheng said.

“The swift prosecution of these 10 cases is a strong message to would-be criminals that Singapore will not tolerate attempts to flout our laws,” he added.

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Among the defendants are a former NYPD officer, a mobbed-up pizza restaurateur, and numerous reputed members and associates of the Gambino crime family.

Heading the operation were alleged Gambino soldiers John LaForte, Anthony Cinque, and John Matera, prosecutors claim. Also named in the indictment are alleged Gambino associates Edward LaForte, Frederick Falcone, Sr., Giulio Pomponio, Daniel Bogan, and alleged Colombo associate Charles Fusco.

Gambino Cop?

An ex-cop, Falcone’s role was to manage the books, meticulously keeping track of who owed which exorbitant debt.

Edward Laforte, brother to John Laforte, managed the sports betting enterprise, using an offshore price-per-head website, according to prosecutors.

Several of those charged were “sheetholders,” whose role was to collect gambler’s bets and debts.

Often, the gamblers who were wagering illegally through these sheetholders would fall into debt and the members of this criminal enterprise would exploit this opportunity by providing a usurious loan and charging and collecting illegally high interest on these loans, making a profit off of a gambler who had fallen into debt,” prosecutors said.

The operation handled more than $22.7 million in bets and generated weekly interest of around $500K worth of usurious loans. Investigators used wiretaps, covert surveillance, and offshore gambling site warrants to collect evidence against the group.

‘Slice of Pizza’

Members would meet to discuss business at the Eltingville Shopping Center and the Greenridge Shopping Center on Staten Island, according to prosecutors. Edward LaForte would often leave proceeds from the operation at Frank and Danny’s Pizzeria in the Eltingville Shopping Center, which was owned by Bogan.

“Stopping over for a slice of pizza” was a euphemism used by the group for distributing the spoils, according to wiretaps.

Illegal gambling and loan sharking schemes are some of the oldest rackets in the mob’s playbook,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who recently successfully prosecuted the Trump Organization for fraud, said in a statement Wednesday.

“While organized crime may still be active in New York, today we are putting several Gambino family members out of business. These criminal enterprises took tens of millions of dollars from New Yorkers and trapped many in dangerous amounts of debt,” James added.

The charges, detailed in an 84-count indictment, include enterprise corruption, promoting gambling, criminal usury, and conspiracy.

The post Former NYPD Cop Among 17 Indicted in New York Mafia Gambling, Extortion Racket appeared first on Casino.org.

On Tuesday, Long Phi Pham, 38, was charged with conspiring to defraud a sports betting company through wagers, according to Reuters.

Pham and others are alleged to have made more than $1 million by betting the “under” on Porter’s performances for the Toronto Raptors while party to insider information.

Porter was a power forward for the Raptors until he was banned from the NBA for life in April. He’s the first player to be kicked out of the league for gambling since Jack Molinas, a key figure in one of basketball’s most notorious points-shaving scandals, in 1954.

Sportsbooks Tipoff

The NBA began its investigation in March after receiving notice from sportsbooks of suspicious betting patterns surrounding two games featuring Porter. These were a January 26 loss to the LA Clippers and a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings, again a loss for the Raptors.

Porter exited early in both games. He played four minutes of the Clippers game after a reoccurrence of an existing eye injury, and just three minutes of the Kings game after complaining of feeling ill.

Federal prosecutors allege that Porter owed the co-conspirators large gambling debts and agreed to the scheme as a means of paying them off.

‘Hit with a RICO’

In a Telegram chat group on April 4, the day he received the NBA ban, Porter told Pham and others that they “might just get hit w a rico” – a reference to federal anti-racketeering charges. He told them to delete their cell phone records.

The NBA investigation found Porter had also placed at least 13 bets on games using a friend’s sportsbook account. These included at least one bet on the Raptors to lose.

Pham was carrying $12K in cash, $80K in cashier’s checks, betting slips, and three cell phones when he was arrested at JFK. He faces federal wire fraud charges that come with up to 20 years in prison.

US Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak ordered Pham detained at a hearing Tuesday.

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Fresh data from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) indicate that New Jersey and New York, two of the largest states in terms of regulated sports wagering handle, remain hotbeds of illegal iGaming and sports betting activity. In a new report published by Yield Sec, CFG noted that $40.92 billion in wagers were placed through unregulated internet casinos and sportsbooks with bettors in Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York combining for $9.5 billion of that figure.

The dominance of illegal online gambling operators remains unchallenged despite the expansion of legal gambling,” said CFG founder Derek Webb in a statement. “Sector-friendly legislation, regulation, and tax rates have not made much of a dent. Despite wildly different legal regimes, these three states continue to accommodate over 800 illegal operators who operate with zero regard for state law.”

To some extent, Minnesota’s high rank on the dubious list is understandable because the state doesn’t permit iGaming or sports betting. However, New Jersey permits both forms of wagering and New York is the largest state as measured by regulated online sports betting handle.

Fed Oversight Could Dampen Black Market Betting, Says Webb

In the US, gaming companies typically work most frequently with state regulators, but CFG’s Webb believes more federal oversight is needed to quash black market betting.

“This is one reason why we need federal involvement in the oversight of online gambling. We are eager to equip policymakers with real, reliable data so that we can have more informed, balanced debate, and ultimately smarter gambling policy,” he noted.

The related selling points are that if the state approves online casinos or sports betting, consumer protection increases, as does tax revenue to the state. However, New Jersey and New York stand in stark contrast to the “legalize to eliminate black market betting” theory.

Staggering Black-Market Betting Data

In Minnesota, an estimated $1.5 billion was directed to unregulated iGaming forums while bettors there allocated another $929 million to illegal internet sportsbooks. Alone, those are concerning statistics, but the concern is amplified when examining New Jersey and New York.

In New York, where some politicians are pushing to legalize iGaming, residents spent $3.4 billion on unregulated internet casinos and another $1.9 billion on illegal sportsbooks, noted CFG.

The post New Jersey, New York Still Hotbeds of Black Market Sports Betting appeared first on Casino.org.

Kypros Perikleous, 55, was a senior director of transportation services for the city. He worked for the city council in various capacities for 37 years, according to his LinkedIn page. He had been on long-term medical leave with a heart condition until he retired last December.

Perikleous has also been charged with possessing proceeds of crime worth more than $5,000 and of improper storage of a firearm.

Center of Power

The Mounties allege Perikleous was “close enough to the center of power in the organization to warrant the criminal organization charge.”

Perikleous’ lawyer, Brian Greenspan, says his client is innocent of all charges and will contest them in court.

He looks forward to receiving disclosure and the opportunity to respond to any suggestion of impropriety,” Greenspan said. “As to the storage of firearms at his home, these were licensed and legal and stored in accordance with published guidelines provided by the RCMP.”

Perikleous was among 16 people arrested in April across numerous properties in the cities of Toronto, Scarborough, and Vaughan. Police seized firearms, illegal gaming devices, jewelry, and more than $250K in cash during the raids.

Botched Mob Hit

Prosecutors believe the leader of the network is Paris Christofouro, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Christofouro is a former Hells Angels enforcer who was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2006 for a botched shooting that left a passerby paralyzed.

In 2018, the Star reported that two attempts had been made on Christofouro’s life, forcing him to go underground. In August 2017, a hooded gunman opened fire on Christoforou as he sat parked in his car outside a Toronto Starbucks.

Sense of Disbelief

If convicted, Perikleous faces up to five years in prison for illegal bookmaking and up to two for each of the additional two charges.

Former city councilor Mary-Margaret McMahon, who is now a provincial lawmaker, told the Star she struggled to reconcile the allegations with the man she once worked alongside.

She remembered “Kyp” as someone who was “super friendly, earnest, hardworking, and keen to find solutions to help build a better city.”

The post Ex-Toronto City Official Linked to Gambling Ring Run by Ex-Hells Angels Hitman appeared first on Casino.org.

Ryan Boyajian, who appears in the show as the fiancé of “RHOC” star Jennifer Pedranti, is allegedly the mystery figure to whom Mizuhara wired millions of dollars to pay his gambling debts from Ohtani’s account.

Boyajian was simply referred to as “Associate 1” in a federal criminal complaint against Mizuhara that accuses him of stealing at least $17 million from Ohtani.

Mizuhara Takes Plea Deal

On Wednesday, Mizuhara agreed to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. The interpreter has admitted wiring “at least $15 million” to an account in Boyajian’s name, per court documents. The reality star received the money on behalf of California-based illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, who is referred to as “Bookmaker 1” in the complaint.

Boyajian would then forward the money to marker accounts at Resorts World and California’s Pechanga Casino. The men withdrew the funds in chips, gambled with them, and cashed out what was left.

Bowyer lost $7.9 million gambling at Resorts World from June 2022 to October 2023, according to ABC News sources.

The bookie was the target of a wider investigation by federal agents in Southern California into illegal sports betting and the possible washing of profits at Las Vegas casinos.

Another target was Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player who provided illegal bookmaking services for pro players of several sports.

Sibella Sentenced

On Wednesday, former Resorts World and MGM Grand president Scott Sibella was sentenced to one year’s probation and a $9,500 fine for violating the Bank Secrecy Act, an anti-money laundering statute. Sibella failed to write out a suspicious transaction report when Nix paid a marker at the MGM Grand with $120K in cash. He also allowed the bookie to gamble despite knowing the source of his funds came from illegal bookmaking.

Nix is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to federal tax and gambling charges. Bowyer is yet to be charged with any crime.

“He is not a bookmaker or a sub-bookie,” Katzman added.

Mizuhara faces up to 30 years in prison, despite his plea deal.

The post ‘Real Housewives’ Star Ryan Boyajian Implicated in Shohei Ohtani Gambling Scandal appeared first on Casino.org.

UEFA’s appointment of Felix Zwayer has raised questions about the referee’s suitability to take charge of such a high-profile game. Zwayer was banned from soccer for six months as a result of the scandal, which erupted in his native Germany, back in 2005.

In January of that year, Zwayer’s fellow referee Robert Hoyzer confessed to fixing and betting on games. Hoyzer, who mainly oversaw matches in Germany’s second tier, admitted he had accepted bribes to manipulate games from a gambling syndicate with links to organized crime.

Phantom Penalties

When Hamburg traveled to non-league Paderborn in August 2004 in the first round of the German Cup, few expected anything but a victory for the Bundesliga team. But when Hoyzer awarded the underdog two phantom penalties and sent off Hamburg’s Belgian forward Emile Mpenza, the game would end up a 4-2 win for the home team.

Despite being among the group of referees that reported its suspicions about Hoyzer, Zwayer was also implicated. According to the subsequent investigation by the DFB, Zwayer accepted €300 from Hoyzer before a game between SV Wuppertal and Werder Bremen in May 2004. Zwayer was a linesman in the game, which Hoyzer was refereeing.

The payoff was for Zwayer to “avoid critical situations for Wuppertaler SV as an assistant referee,” according to the DFB.

Swept Under Carpet

However, the sporting body could find no evidence that Zwayer had directly manipulated the game and acknowledged his contribution to the investigation of the case. He received a six-month ban from soccer.

Hoyzer was banned for life from having anything to do with the sport and was handed a prison sentence of two years and five months.

The allegation flared up again in 2021 when English midfielder Jude Bellingham, then playing for Borussia Dortmund, criticized Zwayer’s performance after a game between his team and Bayern Munich.

“If you give a referee, who has, you know, match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?” Bellingham asked.

The player was fined €40K by the DFB for the remark.

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Police in the town of Orillia in Central Ontario said they received reports that the site, TopBets, and its agents have encouraged underage students to sign up to play casino games and bet on sports.

Investigators said they began receiving reports from students in April who said they had been threatened because of unpaid gambling debts.

Stoner told Bradford Today that police believe the situation is localized and involves students in at least one high school in the city. They also believe there are other victims who have yet to come forward.

“We are looking to speak with any individual who can assist with the investigation, and then if there are any other victims because we only know of a few that are localized,” Stoner said.

Price-Per-Head Operation?

It’s likely the gambling operation uses a price-per-head (also known as pay-per-head) service. This is where an unlicensed bookie can offer online gambling services to a specific, localized clientele by using the services of an offshore pay-per-head software provider.

The provider charges the bookie a small fee for every active bettor tied to his account, regardless of betting volume or weekly wins and losses.

The software provides the bookie with automated business tools to run his operation. No financial transactions are made online, but details of bets are stored and tracked by the software. Collections and payouts are made in person, by the bookie or his “agents,” which in this case appears to have been an underage kid.

Move to Online Casino

Beginning life as a facilitator of illegal sports betting, price-per-head providers have begun to branch out into online casino platforms and race books.

In several recent cases, Mafia gambling and extortion rackets disrupted by authorities were found to have used the pay-per-head model.

A study by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario published in April found that 86.4% of those who gambled online used regulated sites as opposed to black market operators.

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The aged and alleged Genovese goodfella was convicted of extortionate collection of credit and conspiracy to commit the same by a Brooklyn federal jury in December.

Selimaj’s nephew and his nephew’s brother-in-law owed an $86K gambling debt to aspiring Albanian film star Luan Bexheti, an alleged Genovese associate, per court filings.

‘Threats and Violence’

Romanello and co-defendant Joseph Celso,?reputedly a Genovese soldier, “used threats and violence” against Selimaj in “repeated” attempts to collect the debt, according to prosecutors.

On their third visit to the restaurant, Romanello was caught on camera punching Selimaj in the face, footage that was shared widely on social media. There was no denying that punch happened, but the question during the trial was why it happened.

Romanello’s lawyer, Jerry McMahon, argued that Selimaj and his client were old acquaintances who had gotten into a drunken disagreement.

The punch had nothing to do with an extortion threat — it happened because Selimaj had allegedly called Romanello a “washed-up Italian with no balls,” McMahon explained.

Presentencing, McMahon claimed that “beyond any shadow of a doubt … Rom has no regrets and why should he?”

“What would Jerry McMahon do?” McMahon added with a flourish. “Knock him flat out!”

‘No Joke’

During the trial, Selimaj testified that Romanello attacked him after he said he would only be able to pay $6K of his nephew’s brother-in-law’s debt. This enraged Romanello, according to Selimaj.

I was afraid this Mafia guy was going to hurt me, my nephew,” he testified. “I was afraid because nobody jokes with the Mafia … It was no joke.”

Prosecutors had lobbied for a tougher sentence for Romanello, arguing that age should not be a “shield for no punishment.” They claimed he has been told “time and again that he needs to change his life [but] he doesn’t.”

Romanello has a 2007 conviction for conspiracy to obstruct justice and for racketeering conspiracy.

Celso was convicted on a conspiracy extortion charge and awaits sentencing. In 1993, he was charged with the murder of Manuel Mayi, a Queens College student from the Dominican Republic, but he was acquitted after the prosecution’s star witness suddenly left the country.

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Sibella, who was fired by Resorts World in September 2023 for violating company policy, pleaded guilty in January to a federal charge of violating the Bank Secrecy Act in relation to the same allegation. He is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

The NGCB initially fumbled the ball on the Sibella case. Presented with information of his links to bookies, the regulator cleared the casino executive last year, finding the allegations to be “unsubstantiated.”

Investigation Widens

Having missed a trick, the NGCB has now joined a sprawling federal investigation into the possible laundering of proceeds from illegal bookmaking at Las Vegas casinos. This has widened to include Matt Bowyer, who received $16 million from the bank account of Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, allegedly stolen by Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizhura.

The first count of the NGCB complaint against Sibella alleges he failed to file a suspicious transaction report (STR) in 2018 when bookie Wayne Nix paid a marker at the MGM Grand with $120K in cash.

The second count alleges he allowed Nix to gamble despite knowing that the source of his funds came from illegal bookmaking. The third alleges he violated MGM Resorts anti-money laundering (AML) protocols by committing the first two offenses. The complaint could result in Sibella losing his gaming license and paying a fine of up to $750K.

Nix, a former minor league baseball pitcher who provided illegal bookmaking to professional players of several sports, has pleaded guilty to illegal gambling and is awaiting sentencing.

Scott Sibella’s ‘Undercover Weekends’

At the MGM Grand, Sibella periodically hosted “Scott Sibella Undercover Weekends.” These were invite-only events for VIP gamblers, so called because of his 2011 appearance on the CBS show Undercover Boss. Both Nix and Bowyer were invited to these events as Sibella’s guests, according to the complaint.

Nix was also comped golf trips with senior executives, which aimed to encourage him to continue gambling at the casino.

Ohtani’s Money Filtered Through Casinos

An investigation by ESPN, published Tuesday, found that the money wired from Ohtani’s bank account ended up at casinos in Las Vegas and California, including Resorts World.

Sources told ESPN that Mizhura wired the money to an associate of Bowyer who would forward it to his marker accounts at Resorts World and Northern California’s Pechanga Casino. The men withdrew the funds in chips, gambled with them, and cashed out what was left.

Bowyer lost $7.9 million at Resorts World from June 2022 to October 2023, according to ESPN sources.

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Billy Joy of Terre Haute, Ind. is seeking the Democratic nomination for Vigo County treasurer in the spring primary on May 7. But two anonymous letters sent to The Terre Haute Tribune-Star this week raked up the candidate’s “criminal” past.

Back in 2011, the Indiana Gaming Commission began investigating Joy for illegal gambling, which led to excise police raiding poker games at Highway 40, a sports bar in West Terre Haute.

Joy was dismissive of the case when contacted by the Tribune Star.

“A bunch of my buddies and me were playing cards … and they slapped us with charges,” he said.

Underground Games

But court records show that police and regulatory officials believed that Joy was the organizer of the games at the bar, along with other games at another venue where sports betting and other types of gambling were also going on.

Private poker games are illegal in Indiana if someone is taking a rake or otherwise profiting commercially from the game.

Joy was sentenced to a year in jail, with credit for one day served, one day good time, and 363 days suspended. He paid a fine of $1, court costs of $174, and was placed on probation. He also agreed to donate $500 to a local charity, according to court filings.

Vigo County attorney Terry Modesitt told WTHI-TV he was looking into whether Joy’s conviction made him ineligible to run for office.

Crimes and Misdemeanors

The problem for Joy is that you can’t run for office in Indiana if you have previously been “found guilty of a felony by a jury or the court [or] entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a felony even if the felony conviction was later reduced to a Class A misdemeanor,” according to the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office.

Joy told the Tribune-Star he had not sought legal advice and appeared to be philosophical about the situation.

“If the legal system tells me I have to take my name off, that’s the way it will have to be,” he said.

The post Indiana Election Candidate’s Illegal Gambling Conviction Could Sink Campaign appeared first on Casino.org.

The gaming regulator is a little late to the party. Last year, the board cleared former Resorts World President Scott Sibella of allegations of connections to convicted illegal bookie “Fat” Dave Stroj.

Stroj had an interest in a taco restaurant at Resorts World and had been gambling at the casino and others in Las Vegas in violation of a supervised release clause.

Egg on Face

The board ended up with egg on their faces six months later when the feds subpoenaed Resorts World demanding records of cash and wire transactions. Resorts World fired Sibella shortly after for violating company policy.

In January, Sibella pleaded guilty in a federal court to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. This was because he failed to report that another bookie, Wayne Nix, had paid a marker at the MGM Grand with $120K in cash in 2018 when Sibella was president of that casino.

Sibella admitted that he knew of Nix’s profession and deliberately did not ask the source of the funds because he would have had to stop him from gambling.

Sibella is scheduled to be sentenced May 8. Nix, a former minor league baseball pitcher who provided illegal bookmaking to professional players of several sports, has pleaded guilty to illegal gambling and awaits sentencing.

MGM and the Cosmopolitan entered into nonprosecution agreements with federal agents over Nix’s gambling and paid a $7.45 million settlement between them. Resorts World hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing.

Ohtani Interpreter Scandal

Now, the investigation has widened to focus on other illegal bookies and whether proceeds have been laundered at Las Vegas casinos. Several sources within the gaming industry told The Current that the NGCB had reached out to them as part of the probe and appears to be assisting federal agents with their inquiries.

One focus of the investigation is Matt Bowyer, an alleged bookmaker and Las Vegas gambler who received $16 million from the bank account of LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

The money was allegedly transferred by Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who was facing massive gambling debts and has been charged with bank fraud.

Mizuhara started betting with Bowyer in September 2021, placing approximately 19K bets between December 2021 and January 2024, according to prosecutors.

The post Nevada Regulators Join Las Vegas Money Laundering Probe as Net Widens appeared first on Casino.org.

Michael Frontier from Chicago pleaded guilty in January to running an illegal gambling operation between 2015 and 2016. His case was part of a sprawling federal investigation into the Chicago Outfit’s notorious Elmwood Park and Grand Avenue street crews, according to court documents.

Frontier was caught discussing his illegal betting operations in FBI wiretaps that targeted major movers in the Outfits gambling and prostitution rackets.

FBI Wiretap

Frontier wasn’t accused of being a member of the Mafia himself, but he did admit to managing a team of five agents who recruited gamblers and collected debts for his pay-per-head betting operation. He also admitted to earning substantial income through illegal gambling.

Frontier failed to declare this during 2015 bankruptcy proceedings as he sought to dodge paying a $1.5 million civil judgment as a result of a motorcycle accident.

One gambler testified that when he couldn’t pay, Frontier put him in touch with a money lender. When he met with the moneylender, he was set upon by several men and beaten, according to court documents.

‘Different Person’

A heavily tattooed Frontier apologized to US District Judge John Robert Blakey before sentencing, claiming he had turned his life around after quitting the illegal gambling business in 2016 before he knew he was under investigation, as reported by The Chicago Tribune.

I’m a whole different person from that time until now,” he said. “I’ve changed my life and I’m just hoping I get a second chance.”

Since quitting the bookmaking business, Frontier now works for a successful cannabis company, Verano, and is also expecting his first child, his lawyer said.

On his LinkedIn page, now deleted, he described himself as “a clairvoyant, intuitive life coach, reiki master, reflexologist, and keynote speaker.”

Another was Marco “The Mover” D’Amico who is believed to have headed up the Outfit’s illegal sports betting operations for decades before his death in 2020 at age 84.

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Ukrainian army serviceman Pavlo Petrychenko, who died in combat last week, previously called attention to concerning wagering patterns among troops deployed in the war against Russia. Prior to his death, Petrychenko asked Zelenskyy to crackdown on military members’ access to internet casinos.

Military personnel have been away from their families for the third year, in stressful conditions and without the possibility of full rest, so they are especially psychologically vulnerable,” wrote Petrychenko in a March 29 letter to the Ukranian president. “For many, gambling becomes the only way to cope with stress, and therefore quickly causes dopamine addiction and weakens their self-control.”

Though he did not identify specific operators, Petrychenko said some gaming companies are preying on Ukrainian service members by offering microloans that lead to financial strain on the troops and their families. He added that some Russian firms are advertising directly to Ukrainian civilians and military members in an effort to gain sensitive data.

Ukrainian Troops Selling Equipment to Feed Betting Habits

The betting problem among Ukrainian soldiers is all the more problematic when considering Petrychenko’s account of some troops selling equipment, including drones and thermal imaging gear, to raise cash for their wagering habits.

However, Americans’ enthusiasm for funding Ukraine is waning, particularly as inflation and interest rates in this country remain elevated relative to historical norms. Amplifying Americans’ concerns about Ukraine military funding is speculation that proper accounting of US military assistance to the country is limited. There’s also rumors that equipment given to Ukraine by NATO allies has been sold for profit on the black market, not used in the fight against Russia.

Zelenskyy Seeking Help from Big Tech

In a bid to limit troops’ exposure to mobile betting applications, Zelenskyy is asking for help from Apple and Google parent Alphabet — the companies behind the two largest app stores. The Ukrainian cabinet has reportedly asked those two US technology companies to pull unregulated betting apps from their app stores.

In his letter to Zelenskky, Petrychenko requested that the Verkhovna Rada — Ukraine’s equivalent of a congress — enact measures to force internet service providers to block access to unregulated internet casinos, forbid pawnshops from accepting military equipment, and ban gaming-related advertising targeting Ukrainian troops, among other requests.

“Huge debts of servicemen with game addiction can also become an element of pressure and manipulation from the special services of the aggressor country,” wrote Petrychenko. “According to Article 93 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the President has the right of legislative initiative, and the bills defined by the President of Ukraine as urgent are considered by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in advance.”

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Salvatore Rubino, 61, aka “Sal the Shoemaker,” pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of operating an illegal gambling business. He admitted to running card games and gambling machines inside Sal’s Shoe Repair in Merrick, NY.

Racketeering, Extortion Charges ?

Rubino’s is the last guilty plea of five defendants linked to the ring that prosecutors claim was a joint operation between the Genovese and Bonanno families. The others are former Genovese capo Carmelo “Carmine” Polito, 64, Joseph Macario, 69, aka “Joe Fish,” Joseph Rutigliano, 65, aka “Joe Box,” and Mark Feuer, 61.

The four pleaded guilty on April 5 to charges that included racketeering, attempted extortion, and illegal gambling.

Sal’s, which closed in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was one of several fronts used by the gambling ring. Others included a gelateria and coffee bar in Lynbrook, Long Island named Grann Café, as well as a soccer club and an Italian social club.

Each business operated “illegal joker poker-type gambling machines,” as well as poker games, and generated more than $2,000 for the Mob each day, according to prosecutors. Rubino and Rutigliano would collect the proceeds and distribute them to higher-ranking gangsters.

Under the Bridge

Polito additionally operated a pay-per-head sportsbook called PGWLines and would extort debtors who failed to pay their debts on time. In one October 2019 incident, he called a customer and threatened to “break his face.”

On another occasion, he instructed one of his agents to tell a debtor he would “put him under the f***ing bridge” if he did not pay up.

With their guilty pleas, these five members and associates of the Genovese crime family have admitted they committed crimes to benefit a criminal enterprise notorious for inflicting harm on our communities for generations,” said United States Attorney Breon Peace in a statement.

“As long as the Mafia doesn’t get it that illegal gambling is a losing proposition, they can bet on this Office and our partners vigorously enforcing the law and flushing them out of the shadows,” Peace added.

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Christopher “Christy” Kinahan, aka “the Dapper Don,” is the founder of the Kinahan Cartel and one of the most wanted men in the world.

But in one of hundreds of thoughtful reviews posted on Google by Kinahan between 2019 and 2023 under the alias “Christopher Vincent,” he admits he stormed out of the Mitts and Trays restaurant in Blue Water, Dubai, before the food was delivered because of the lengthy wait.

“[This] was not so bad for adults, but when you have children with you it can be a hassle,” he ruminated.

Bloody Feud

Irish courts describe the Kinahan family as a “murderous organization” involved in the trafficking of drugs and firearms internationally.

In 2022, the US State Department announced a $15 million reward for information leading to the capture of high-level Kinahan members.

The Kinahans disappeared to Dubai in 2016 following a bloody feud with rival Dublin criminal organization, the Hutch Gang.

Earlier that year a group of Hutch members armed with AK-47s stormed Dublin’s Regency Hotel dressed as police officers during a boxing weigh-in organized by Daniel Kinahan. The intention was to take out Daniel Kinahan and his top lieutenants.

The main targets escaped, but two Kinahan associates died in the gunfire. Twelve people were murdered by members of the Kinahan Cartel in retribution.

Everyone’s a Critic

Kinahan Sr.’s prolific Google reviews show that he is an enthusiastic globetrotter, despite his legal predicament. He has posted restaurant and hotel reviews from Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Turkey, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Hong Kong, according to The Irish Times.

In fact, his Google profile has earned more than 10K points, obtaining a “level 7” guide rating.

In his reviews, Kinahan comes across as an inpatient and somewhat fussy businessman. One review is particularly interesting in the context of his status as a transnational organized crime boss.

Of another Dubai restaurant, he writes, “I did explain that I did not like to be called ‘boss’ and please could you call me ‘Chris, Mr Vincent, or Sir,’”

“The waitress tittered,” he added. “I thought nothing more of it until we were paying the bill … and were about to leave when the same waitress made a point of saying ‘thanks boss!’”

Despite the hiccup, he gave the restaurant four stars.

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) says it’s sent numerous requests to the Curacao Gaming Control Board (CGCB) for the small Caribbean island and semiautonomous nation to seize the operations of iGaming firms. In particular, those that continue to offer illegal online gambling websites and platforms in Australia. After many pleas, the Aussie government agency says it’s finally received word that the island controlled by the Netherlands will act.

ACMA engages with overseas regulatory bodies for the purposes of assisting with our enforcement and disruption efforts against illegal services. In relation to Curacao, we have written to them about individual services licensed in their jurisdiction,” an ACMA spokesperson told The Guardian.

ACMA officials say they’ve identified nearly 1,000 accessible websites in Australia that promote and operate prohibited online slots, interactive table games, bingo, lottery games, and sports betting. Many of those sites operate through a license issued by the CGCB.

Reforms Forthcoming

Curacao is a major iGaming hub, with many platforms targeting remote gamblers based in countries where such gambling is outlawed. Along with Australia, China is a major target for the offshore entities.

Curacao last year acknowledged its gaming regulations needed improvement. The island is in the process of forming the Curacao Gaming Authority, which will be tasked with licensing and regulating online gaming concessions.

Master licensees will no longer be allowed to tether their license to a subcontractor. That’s a move that’s expected to cancel hundreds of iGaming sites and send those operators looking elsewhere for licensure.

We are continuing to explore further regulatory collaboration with overseas gambling regulators and would welcome any opportunity to engage with the Curacao Gaming Authority to share information or coordinate action against the provision of online gambling services in breach of Australian laws,” the ACMA spokesperson added.

The Curacao Gaming Authority will implement a regulation that requires all of its iGaming permit holders to offer a patron dispute form on their website and/or app. Those disputes will also be sent to the regulatory for resolution monitoring.

iGaming Hubs

Curacao isn’t the only place where many online gaming enterprises set up shop. Other notable iGaming hubs include the Philippines, Malta, the Isle of Man, and Gibraltar.

Sites obtain some sort of operating license and then use the permit to offer online casino games in countries where iGaming isn’t legal or regulated. Powerful countries like the United States have seized unlawful casino sites in the past and blocked their ability to reach internet users located in the country.

“All stakeholders — policymakers, law enforcement, regulators, legal businesses — must work together to root out the illegal and unregulated gambling market,” Miller declared. “This is a fight we’re in for the long haul to protect consumers, support communities, and defend the law-abiding members of our industry.”

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But with 38 states and Washington, D.C. now permitting regulated sports betting, the black market remains alive and well. The Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) commissioned research conducted by YieldSec, and one of the staggering findings was that there are more than eight illegal iGaming or sports betting operators doing business in the U.S. for each regulated company, such as BetMGM, DraftKings, or FanDuel.

The black market is alive and well in America. Legalizing iGambling was never going to adequately weaken the illegals,” said CFG founder and funder Derek Webb. “But the presence of the black market has served as a useful foil — the legal gambling sector’s main rationalization for expansion.

CFG’s report says there are 860 illegal operators in the U.S., compared to just 103 with regulated status. Last year, those unlicensed firms generated nearly $41 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) compared to $16.9 billion for regulated rivals. The 2024 Super Bowl was a prime example of that trend, as just 35% of wagers placed on that game by U.S. bettors were in regulated markets.

Black Market Thriving

State-level legalization, or the lack thereof in some cases, explains why “bootleg” betting remains so common in the U.S.

Some companies indulge that approach. According to CFG, 84% of U.S.-facing affiliate sites exclusively promote internet casino or sports betting outfits that aren’t approved to do business in the U.S. That’s while 41% do business with both illegal and legal operators. Just 16% of affiliate firms focus exclusively on legal gaming companies.

Specific to sports wagering, another reason why some bettors are inclined to continue giving their business to local bookmakers or offshore sites is that many regulated operators in the U.S. limit, or won’t even do business with, sharp players.

While sharps represent a scant percentage of the overall sports wagering universe, they can be handle drivers for regulated books. But many of those companies aren’t taking their business, forcing those bettors to remain in the black market.

Compelling Reasons to Minimize

While regulated iGaming and sports wagering have to date been unsuccessful in thwarting the unregulated markets, there’s good reasons for politicians and regulators to continue pursuing that objective.

Namely, there are risks to consumers that bet with unlicensed operators, including not being paid on winning bets or being victims of digital fraud.

“The only solution to optimizing the marketplace opportunity for legal brands, state tax revenues, responsible gaming, and a safe consumer environment is to monitor the online audience, detect their activity, police and remove illegal content, including ads, and effectively enforce the law,” noted YieldSEC CEO and founder Ismail Vali.

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Rob Marquise Adams, 23, was running away from San Bernardino Police Department officers when he was shot six times, mostly in the back, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family.

The city agreed to the settlement despite an ongoing investigation into whether the officers involved, Michael Yeun and Sgt. Imran Ahmed, were justified in their actions.

“San Bernardino agreed to the settlement recognizing the costs and attorneys’ fees to take a federal civil rights case to trial, as well as the risks associated with a civil jury, given the current climate in the courts,” attorney Steven Rothans, who represented the city, said in a statement to the Sun.

Hail of Bullets

According to the official police report of the July 19 incident, Michael Yeun and Imran Ahmed, both Special Investigation Unit Officers with the San Bernardino Police Department, received reports that “a Black male armed with a gun” was in the parking lot of the gambling den.

On their arrival in an unmarked car, the two uniformed officers saw two men in the parking lot. They claimed one of the men, later identified as Adams, “pulled a gun from his waistband and began walking towards” them, according to the report.

They exited their vehicle and demanded the man drop the weapon. Instead, Adams sprinted in the opposite direction towards two parked cars, still carrying the gun, the report claimed. One of the officers, later identified by bodycam footage as Yeun, opened fire.

Adams’ family claimed in the lawsuit that the object was a cell phone, and he was unarmed. SBPD denies that, claiming he was holding a Taurus G3C 9mm which was recovered from his body.

Kaepernick Paid for Autopsy

Because the city delayed the publication of the coroner’s report, former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick paid for an independent autopsy. This formed the basis for many of the allegations in the lawsuit.

Although not specified in the suit, media previously reported that Adams’ family was seeking $100 million.

In April 2023, KQED reported that both Yeun and Ahmed have histories of using excessive force and that in 2020, Yeun shot an unarmed minor who had fled from a vehicle he had pulled over for a traffic stop.

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The ministry accused the UK government of “turning a blind eye” to the “London-based Mafia network” known as Nitro Bet, or “Nitrobet,” in return for “huge taxes from fraudulent and illegal funds.”

Nevertheless, Iran claimed Britain had “practically paved the way for criminal actions,” including money laundering.

35K Domestic Bank Accounts

Gambling has been illegal in Iran since the 1979 revolution, as the Quran forbids Muslims to gamble. Games of chance are described as a “grave sin” and “abominations of Satan’s handiwork” in Islamic scripture. But enforcing the ban is difficult, as authorities find themselves playing a game of whack-a-mole with agile operators based overseas.

The takedown of Nitro Bet was the result of 14 months of “complicated intelligence research and surveillance,” according to Iranian intelligence services.

The gambling network controlled around 35K domestic bank accounts and 1,200 payment gateways, the Intelligence Ministry said.

These were likely so-called “farmer accounts,” named for the method used by online gambling operators who target the lucrative Chinese black market. With the help of agents based within a targeted market, gambling sites buy up or rent thousands of personal bank accounts from regular citizens. In China, this is usually the rural poor, or “farmers.”

The system allows illegal operators to move the proceeds of gambling out of the country. While Iran is subject to certain international financial sanctions, there is no restriction on Western countries receiving payments from Iranian bank accounts.

‘Decadent Culture’

Nitro Bet was also in the process of establishing a social media stream of influencers who would “denigrate Islamic-Iranian values ??and normalize the decadent culture of gambling in Iran’s Islamic society,” the ministry claimed.

Intelligence agents arrested five “managers” involved in the network from inside Iran. The defendants are accused of economic sabotage, operating online casinos, and receiving illegal profits.

Article 705 of the Islamic Penal Code states the penalty for illegal gambling is one to six months’ imprisonment, or up to 74 lashes, or both if the offense is committed publicly.

In 2021, a bill was presented to the Iranian legislature that would have authorized the death penalty for illegal online gambling operators, according to the website?Iran Human Rights Monitor. It did not become law.

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Skill gaming machines are slot-like devices that allow Missourians to win money. The grey-market gaming apparatuses can be found across the state in convenience stores, restaurants and bars, gas stations, and retail spaces dedicated to the games.

Quade believes Missouri should regulate the machines for fair play and reap the tax benefit of allowing the devices to operate. Many small businesses say the games provided critical revenue amid the pandemic and have since helped offset inflation.

I have been contacted for quite some time by constituents all across the state about these slot machines. No matter where you go, whether it’s a gas station or walking through your neighborhood, they are everywhere,” Quade explained of her motion to legalize.

“It’s quite a problem. Unfortunately, nobody is doing anything about them. Unregulated slot machines are not going away, and it’s past time for the legislature to act,” Quade added.

Skill Gaming Bill

Quade’s House Bill 2835 would limit where and how skill games can operate.

Along with requiring the machines to be programmed for fair play to protect consumers with a minimum payout rate of 85%, the legislation would limit an establishment to a maximum of five terminals. The skill games would be required to be in an area inaccessible to children and anyone under the age of 21.

The bill additionally seeks to charge device manufacturers a $25K annual fee and host businesses $1,000 per year to house up to five devices. Quade supports allowing local governments to ban the games in their jurisdictions.

I believe the local level should be able to decide what their communities look like and my bill would absolutely not get in the way of that,” Quade explained.

Quade is an underdog to succeed Gov. Mike Parsons (R), the term-limited governor whose eight years in office ends in January 2025. Quade will first need to win her party’s gubernatorial primary on August 6 in a field that includes three other Democrats.

She would then need to prevail in the general election against GOP front-runner Jay Ashcroft, who is currently the secretary of state. Missouri hasn’t had a Democratic governor since Jay Nixon’s two terms ended in January 2017.

Show Me State

In Missouri, skill games are often called “no-chance” gaming machines because the result of the next play is already shown before the spin. Players keep betting until they come across a winning preview.

Torch attorneys contend the matter should be determined on the state level, not a bespoke approach from town to town. The lawsuit was filed late last month and seeks a judge to issue an injunction that would prevent Springfield from seizing its no-chance games or penalizing its host businesses with fines.

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William Eric Fulton, 60, is the founder and managing partner of Fulton Management, whose clients have included MMA champion Connor McGregor and Hollywood star Channing Tatum. They also included Nix, who for two decades ran an illegal gambling operation that handled bets for professional athletes.

Last July, Fulton pleaded guilty in a federal court in Los Angeles to one charge of making false statements. This related to untruthful information he provided during interviews about Nix’s operation with Homeland Security and the IRS.

Bookkeeper to a Bookie

Fulton supplied accounting, bookkeeping, and tax preparation services for Nix. He gave the bookie a $1.25 million no-interest loan to pay his gambling clients when he needed access to liquidity. He also placed bets with Nix himself and recommended Nix’s services to at least one of his other clients, according to prosecutors.

In short, defendant and the company knowingly operated as a de facto back office for the Nix gambling business, making payments, moving funds, extending financing, and conducting bookkeeping and administrative tasks that allowed the Nix gambling business to continue to operate,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum.

Their demands for a robust sentence because Fulton was an “organizer” of the operation were rejected by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee on Tuesday. She determined that Fulton played a minor role in the sports betting business.

Fulton was listed as one of Hollywood’s most powerful business managers by The Hollywood Reporter in 2015.

Scott Sibella Scandal

Nix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to a count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and a count of subscribing to a false tax return. He awaits sentencing.

Former L.A. Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was also embroiled in the case as one of Nix’s betting clients. He initially accepted a plea deal that would have seen him admit to lying to federal agents, but subsequently pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

In January, Sibella pleaded guilty to charges that could also send him to prison for five years. According to Sibella’s plea agreement, he was aware of Nix’s illegal betting operations, but still allowed him to gamble at the MGM Grand from 2010 to 2019 when he served as its president. That was a violation of anti-money laundering laws, according to prosecutors.

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Sullivan, 73, was arrested in August upon his arrival at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on a flight from Antigua, where now-defunct Sports Offshore was based. It’s unclear whether he deliberately returned to the U.S. to turn himself in.

Sullivan was among the first to be charged under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), a law enacted in 2006 to prevent U.S. citizens from using the banking system to process online gambling transactions.

The sportsbook created shell companies to launder the proceeds and to avoid detection by U.S. authorities. It also employed around 50 agents in the continental U.S. who solicited customers and collected debts, which were forwarded to Antigua, prosecutors said.

Industry Pioneers

The offshore sportsbook operators that emerged in Antigua in the mid to late-1990s considered themselves pioneers of a brand-new tech industry. This was at a time when it was not explicitly clear that what they were doing was illegal.

That was until 2002, when the U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion that the 1962 Wire Act, which prohibited sports wagering via “a wire communication,” could be applied to the internet.

These sportsbooks chose Antigua because the Caribbean island nation opted to invest in high-quality, international fiber-optic cable infrastructure, and promised low taxes in the hope of nurturing a tech industry in the dawning internet age.

The WTO agreed and awarded Antigua the right to suspend $21 million annually in intellectual property rights held by U.S. companies.

Congressman Embroiled

Sullivan operated Sports Offshore with Todd Lyons and brothers Robert and Daniel Eremian. In December 2011, Lyons and Daniel Eremian were sentenced to four years and three years in prison, respectively, and were ordered to forfeit more than $30 million between them.

Robert Eremian remains a fugitive from justice.

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The sack, containing a severed left hand, left foot, and a pair of ears, was found underneath an agency vehicle parked outside the NBI’s offices at about 5:45 a.m. on March 1.

Also inside the sack was a paper H&M bag with a handwritten note that read, “William De Arca NBI Protector of Hanz Lopez Drug Lord.”

NBI-Bacolod Director Renoir Baldovino said that it’s possible that the body parts were stolen from a funeral parlor, since they had no bloodstains and were cold, as if they had recently been in a freezer.

It is not known whether they come from a man or woman, or even from the same person. They are currently being examined by the NBI.

‘Diversionary Tactic’

William De Arca is a serving NBI agent who Baldovino insisted has no links to the illegal drugs trade. However, De Arca is the special investigator spearheading the illegal gambling crackdown. Meanwhile, the NBI has no knowledge of a drug kingpin named Hanz Lopez, Baldovino said.

Baldovino speculated that the incident could be a diversionary tactic designed to discredit De Arca and the NBI, or to persuade the agency to refocus its time and resources on battling drugs rather than gambling. Baldovin said the last major NBI campaign against illegal narcotics was in 2021.

The 34 were understood to have been involved in rigged online bouts and are presumed to have been kidnapped and murdered, possibly in retaliation for financial losses. Their bodies have never been found.

Six people are awaiting trial on charges related to some of the disappearances, while three former Philippines National Police (PNP) officers have also been indicted.

Recent Raids

Baldovino said that recent NBI raids of an e-sabong outlet and a jueteng operation in the city involved “influential people.” Jueteng is a popular but illegal grassroots numbers game in the Philippines.

The NBI has heightened security around its offices as a response to the incident, and will increase De Arca’s personal security, Baldovino added.

The incident on Friday was the third time body parts have been dumped in a public place in Bacolod City since January 2023.

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