2 AC casinos fined for underage gamblers

NJ - The New Jersey Casino Control Commission fined two Atlantic City casinos a total of $85,000 for violations that included allowing underage patrons to gamble.

http://www.philly.com / The Associated Press / October 28, 2009

Accused leader of illegal gambling ring folds

CO - A gambler who bet the house on an illegal poker and sports-betting operation in Denver with several high-stakes or well-known players, lost it all on Monday when he pleaded guilty to a felony charged against him. The gambling club, which operated inside the "Gin Rummy Club" on South Broadway in Denver, claimed to be a social club. Some of the players fell so deeply into debt, they owed Castardi tens of thousands of dollars, which partly led two gamblers to commit suicide, running an illegal professional gambling and bookmaking business, loan-sharking, money laundering, tax evasion, theft and unlawful debt collection,"

http://www.9news.com / By JWolf and Deborah Sherman / 10-27-09

Atlantic City Casinos Hit With More Underage Gambling Fines

NJ - Fines were handed down to Bally's Atlantic City and Caesars Atlantic City casinos. Bally's was fined $55,000allowed a teenage boy to play rouletteincident involved a twenty year old woman who was playing blackjack.Caesars fine was $30,000.

http://www.casinogamblingweb.com / CasinoGamblingWeb.com / By April Gardner / October 29, 2009

Bad Gambler Pleads Guilty for Stealing Clients' Cash

CT - Cipriano,got his hands on the cash by convincing several of his clients to take their money out of conventional investments and from their personal bank accounts and to give him the money to invest.  What Cipriano did do is launder the funds through his personal bank accounts and then went on to lose most of it gambling at Connecticut casinos,

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com / By YVONNE NAVA / Oct. 30, 2009

Blackwell s travel request denied

MI - A judge today denied a request by former Highland Park Emergency Financial Manager Art Blackwell II to travel to Windsor after a prosecutor said Blackwell has a safe deposit box in Windsor and $1 million in gambling losses. Blackwell, who is facing criminal charges,Blackwell, 56, of Detroit is charged with felony counts of embezzlement, misconduct in office and refusal to turn over books and money to his successor.Blackwell is a founding partner in Greektown Casino, and he owns Arturo s Restaurant in Southfield.Blackwell is accused of improperly paying himself $264,000 while he was the financial manager of the city

http://www.freep.com / FREE PRESS / By BEN SCHMITT / Oct. 26, 2009

Cheated Texas lottery winner says he s staying hopeful

TX - If he had a million dollars  and he almost did until, police say, a convenience store clerk tricked him out of his lottery winnings  he would get a root canal and send his daughters to college. the more pressing question is when  or whether  he will see the first cent of the $1 million authorities say he won in a Mega Millions drawing in May. Willis didn't realize he was a winner when he gave the ticket to the clerk, who handed him $2 back and cashed in on the big prize himself.

http://www.dallasnews.com / The Dallas Morning News / By AVI SELK / October 28, 2009

Cooley's Web site has ads for gambling industry

Chris Cooley's Web site includes ads for businesses in the gambling industry, including the online sports book BodogCooley s online involvement with businesses in the gaming industry is in direct violation of the NFL policy if you take the standard NFL contract by the word. Paragraph 15 addresses integrity and states that the player acknowledges that if he knowingly associates with gambling or gambling activity  the commissioner will have the right to fine the player, suspend the player for a certain period or indefinitely or terminate his contract.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com / NationalFootballPost.com / Brad Biggs / October 28, 2009

Corporate Whistle Blower Drops The Hammer On Internet Gambling

MO - According to the Corporate Whistleblower Center, "its billions of US dollars. Millions of very foolish US citizens completely give up their identification information, in the process of retrieving winnings. Worst of all, most of the biggest players are the Russian Mafia, or organized crime syndicates." The group says, "just as bad, none of the winnings, or losses are taxed by any state, or by the IRS. The what we will call casinos in the loosest form, rake in billions every month from US citizens & they pay no tax. Even worse, these are criminal enterprises designed to cheat people."According to the Corporate Whistleblower Center, "US citizens literally go broke playing with Internet casinos. This is organized crime, its against the law, and it needs to be stopped."

http://www.gambling911.com / Gambling911.com / October 29, 2009

Cretul rolls the dice

FL - There is plenty of blame to go around. Gov. Charlie Crist failed to get the Legislature's consent in 2007 when he signed his first deal with the Seminoles, and the Florida Supreme Court threw out the agreement a year later because of that oversight. The state has been at a severe disadvantage in negotiations ever since, because the Seminoles now have the machines in place and are making money even without the state's approval. Now the Legislature has declined to meet to consider a revised deal Crist negotiated this year.The speaker asked Skibine to use his authority to level civil fines of up to $25,000 per violation against the Seminoles or to temporarily shut down the casinos until an agreement is reached.

http://www.tampabay.com / A Times Editorial / October 31, 2009

DAILY BUZZ: Poker Convictions, Poker Murders, Poker Robberies

CO - Jeffrey Castardi, the owner and operator of an underground Denver poker club whose operations drove two men to suicide, pleaded guilty this week to one charge of racketeering under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. the Gin Rummy Club operated as a social club but made as much as $750,000 in a single year over the course of its five years of existence by running poker games.players at the club were former Denver Broncos players Rod Bernstine and Reggie Rivers and 2007 WSOP bracelet winner Francois Safieddine

http://news.bluffmagazine.com / BluffMagazine.com / Jason Kirk / October 28, 2009

Daughter charged with embezzling more than $100,000 from parents waives hearing

MI - 53-year-old Hudsonville area woman accused of stealing more than $100,000 from her parentsshe spent at least $40,000, with $10,000 as a gift to her and the balance spent gambling.Thomas Sherwin died recently at the age of 90 while his wife, Ada, 83, is in a nursing home.

http://www.mlive.com / The Grand Rapids Press / By John Tunison / October 29, 2009

Dealer accused of stealing from casino

LA - A dealer from the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino was arrested after he allegedly stole money from there.

http://www.wafb.com / wnRender / Oct. 26, 2009

Ex-casino manager gets 50 years in prison

NM - A former Albuquerque-area casino manager has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after admitting he stole more than $1.2 million by forging payout slips.

http://www.currentargus.com / From the Current-Argus / 10/29/2009

Ex-DSS employee stole $5 million

SC - The former finance director of South Carolina s Department of Social Services Tuesday plead guiltyto stealing more than $5 million from the agency. They gave most of the money back to Moore, who has admitted spending much of it on gambling and strippers.

http://www.palmettoscoop.com / By Adam Fogle / October 28th, 2009

Ex-South Carolina agency official to plead guilty

SC - The former finance director of South Carolina's social services agency has agreed to plead guilty to stealing more than $5 million from the agency, according to a plea agreement filed this week. His attorney said Moore had admitted distributing 200 checks over four years, for a total of $1.3 million, money. Moore said he then spent on alcohol, gambling and strippers.

http://www.google.com / AP / By MEG KINNARD / 10-28-09

FBI, police rescue 52 kids in prostitution probes

KS - FBI have rescued 52 children. The investigations typically target places where minors are likely to be sold for sex, including truck stops, casinos, public streets, and Internet Web sites.

http://www.kansascity.com / The Associated Press / Oct. 26, 2009

Former DSS finance director pleads guilty in $5 million theft

SC - The former finance director of South Carolina's social services agency pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing more than $5 million from the agency, money he has said he spent on alcohol, gambling and strippers.In all, prosecutors say, Moore requested about 750 checks cut from state treasury department funds, for about $7,000 each.

http://www.thestate.com / The Associated Press / Oct. 30, 2009

Former officer gets 10 years

IL - A former Alton police officer who stole money from an evidence vault and lied to investigators was re-sentenced earlier this week to a decade in federal prison. Prosecutors alleged the 24-year police veteran used the stolen money to support a gambling habit.

http://www.thetelegraph.com / The Telegraph / By CYNTHIA M. ELLIS / October 27, 2009

Gambling opponents speak out

OH - Opponents of the gambling issue on Tuesday's ballot stepped up their attacks yesterday on the Michigan businessman who would own two Ohio casinos, producing a retired police officer who said the would-be casino tycoon lied about his college arrest on suspicion of running a gambling ring. Fiedler, (Retired Michigan State Police detective) who retired in 1989, said he interviewed one of the participants in the betting ring who told him that Gilbert had threatened him over a debt. Fiedler also said the bookmaking ring involved thousands of dollars in cash. "Mr. Gilbert was part of a serious, organized bookmaking ring that threatened some of its victims with violence," he said at the TruthPAC news conference. Voinovich, who has kept a fairly low profile during this campaign, ticked off the main anti-Issue 3 talking points: that casinos lead to social problems such as crime and gambling addiction; that the 33 percent tax rate and $50 million licensing fees are lower than the figures in many casino states; and that the issue would give Gilbert and Penn National Gaming Inc. a monopoly in the state constitution.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com / THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH / By James Nash / October 31, 2009

Gambling ring busted

NY - Law enforcement officials announced the dismantling of an international gambling ring last Wednesday. The criminal enterprise, whose operations spanned from Queens to Florida and as far as Panama, took in nearly $567 million over the course of a 28-month period. The announcement came as prosecutors unveiled 30 indictments  charging the alleged operators with various counts of enterprise corruption, promoting gambling and money laundering. the investigation uncovered evidence that the enterprise had links to both the Gambino and Genovese crime families,  The gambling ring promoted illegal sports betting in Queens using various Internet websites Fafone and his partner, Eric Harp, 36, allegedly acted as bookmakers for the gambling network, Gambling proceeds are the fuel that drives organized crime.Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

http://www.zwire.com / by Michael Lanza / 10/29/2009

Guilty plea in Gin Rummy club illegal gambling case

CO - A man who ran a high-stakes poker business in Denver catering to Denver media figures and sports personalities and allegedly had ties to the New York mob, has pleaded guilty to violating Colorado's Organized Crime Control Act, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today. Among the people who frequented the club were former Broncos fullback Reggie Rivers; former Broncos running back Rod Bernstine;Castardi and his associates were suspected of violating numerous laws including running an illegal professional gambling and bookmaking business, loan-sharking, money laundering, tax evasion, theft and unlawful debt collection.Also involved in the gambling operation was Richard Giordonello, a member of Gambino captain Nicholas "Little Nicky" Corozzo's crew,

http://cdn.optmd.com / The Denver Post / By Howard Pankratz / 10/26/2009

Guilty plea nets probation in illegal gambling case in Upper Allen Township

PA - One of three men accused of running an illegal gambling operation above a body shop in Upper Allen Township pleaded guilty to gambling charges

http://www.pennlive.com / The Patriot-News / By MATT MILLER / October 29, 2009

Heartless thugs steal casino voucher from elderly woman at Mount Airy

PA - Diminno, 73,was playing a slot machine when she inadvertently hit the machine's cash button. A voucher for $214 was dispensed. A young man seated to her right grabbed the voucher and handed it off to a second man, Both men then fled.

http://www.poconorecord.com / By Howard Frank / October 26, 2009

Hernando AVA gambling parlors, raided in other counties, close abruptly

FL - It's either harmless fun for people, mostly bored senior citizens, or a clever ploy to evade Florida's anti-gambling laws.a group called Affiliates of Allied Veterans of the World has opened dozens of AVA game rooms or Internet cafes around Florida,Former patrons who have called the St. Petersburg Times assumed that Hernando County law enforcement is behind the closings, as was the case in 2007 when similar places were raided and accused of operating as illegal gambling dens.

http://www.tampabay.com / Tampabay.com / By Greg Hamilton / October 31, 2009

Home Poker Game Heists Continue In Cleveland On Monday

OH - Robbers walked away with $11,000 on Monday after they raided a home poker game in Cleveland. They came equipped with assault rifles and entered the apartment where they proceeded to rob the players at the game. In Cleveland, home poker games in which gambling is involved are legal. This is the second big heist at a home poker game in Cleveland in less than a year.

http://www.casinogamblingweb.com / CasinoGamblingWeb.com / By Terry Goodwin / October 28, 2009

Judge In Alabama Rules All Electronic Bingo Gambling Halls Closed

AL - The gambling debate in Alabama is about to reach a fever pitch. Circuit Judge Robert Vance ruled on Monday that the electronic bingo machines that many establishments offer in Walker County are illegal. The judge ordered all casinos operating the machines in the county closed.

"I am the only candidate (Gubernatorial), Democrat or Republican, who has pledged to fight for a statewide gaming commission, statewide licensing and regulation, and taxing casinos to fund education and Medicaid," said Sparks,

http://www.casinogamblingweb.com / CasinoGamblingWeb.com / By April Gardner / October 27, 2009

Man guilty in great-grandpa murder

MI - Huntington was found guilty of murdering a 69-year-old great-grandfather at his home. Rice was killed after hosting a poker party.an illegal gambling operation out of a back room

http://www.woodtv.com / WoodTV.com / October 28, 2009

Officer's conviction jeopardizes 1,300 cases

IL - An Alton police officer's federal conviction for stealing and lying put into jeopardy the prosecution of 1,300 pending Madison County cases -- A federal jury convicted Dooley of evidence tampering, fraud, receiving stolen property, tax evasion and theft last year. Prosecutors said he took money stolen from a bank robbery from Olin Credit Union and U.S. Bank. Prosecutors alleged Dooley developed a severed gambling habit and used money from the police's evidence vault to gamble.

http://www.bnd.com / News-Democrat / BY BETH HUNDSDORFER / Oct. 28, 2009

Online Gambling: The UIGEA Goes Into Effect December 1, 2009

The UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) technically goes into effect in just a few days. Many gamblers have asked what does this mean? Banks are required to enforce this law and not process any gambling related transactions. If your bank suspects that an incoming wire or check is from an Online gambling site, they are supposed to report this and not process the transaction.

http://www.eog.com / by Kenneth Weitzner / October 30, 2009

Outlawed slots busted in Kansas

KS - The giant bucket of a front-end loader fell heavily on a dozen slot machines Friday, smashing them to bits before a row of television cameras. The state won t tolerate illegal devices known as Quarter Sliders  and Cherry Masters  The devices often are found in convenience stores, truck stops, launderettes, taverns and fraternal organizations,

http://www.kansascity.com / The Wichita Eagle / By FRED MANN / Oct. 30, 2009

Plea for leniency fails casino swindler

NM - Slot boss Daniel Roybal will now have decades in prison to think about the embezzlement from Sandia Casino prosecutors are calling one of the biggest such crimes in local history.Roybal, 39, and a now-dead colleague stole more than $1 million from the casino where Roybal worked as the slot-machine manager.

http://www.krqe.com / KRQE / 28 Oct 2009

Poker Tournament Robberies Running Rampant This Month

OK - The suspects then led the men into the kitchen where they were sprayed with pepper spray.

http://www.4flush.com / October 29, 2009

Tampa Internet cafe doubled as illegal gambling house

FL - Two attendants at an illegal gambling operation on Nebraska Avenue were arrested late Wednesday, police say.

http://www2.tbo.com / TBO.com / October 29, 2009

State destroying illegal gambling machines

KS - The State of Kansas is trying to crush the illegal gambling industry by destroying gambling machines and warning businesses it s cracking down.The state has a very clear message about those quarter sliders and quarter pusher games commonly found in laundromats, convenience stores and truck stops."This is not Ms. Pac Man, this is an illegal gambling device meant to deprive people of money, 

http://www.ksn.com / KSN.com / 10/30/2009

State s attorney says Alton officer s crimes hindered prosecutions

IL - Dooley, a 24-year veteran and former evidence officer with the Alton Police Department, was convicted by a federal jury in September 2008 of wire fraud, receiving stolen property, lying to the FBI, failure to file an income tax return and other charges.Prosecutors alleged he took cash being held as evidence in the department s evidence vault and used some of it to support a gambling habit.

http://www.stltoday.com / ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH / By Terry Hillig / 10.28.2009

Two plead guilty in Upper Allen gambling bust

PA - Two of the three men who were charged in February with running an illegal gambling operation above an auto body shop in Upper Allen Township pleaded guilty ThursdayPolice were alerted in December 2007 that suspicious Texas Hold Em poker games were taking place above the garage and began investigating.

http://www.cumberlink.com / The Sentinel Newspaper / By Staff Reports / October 29, 2009

Wanna bet you can bet online?

FL - The two were indicted Wednesday with 28 others in New York, Florida, Nevada and Panama forbeing part of a multimillion-dollar offshore betting operation, New York officials said. The operation set up several betting Web sites for potential bettors and routed the transactions to offshore servers in Panama, according to the indictment. The U.S. Justice Department says online sports gambling falls under the auspices of the federal Interstate Wire Act of 1961."Any Las Vegas casino-style gambling is strictly something law-abiding citizens need to avoid (online)," he said.

http://www.southtownstar.com / By Michael Drakulich / October 25, 2009

Waterbury Financial Adviser Pleads Guilty To Fraud, Money Laundering

CT - Cipriano faces up to 20 years in prison on the fraud charge and up to an additional 10 years for money laundering. He also faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in criminal fines and could be ordered to pay restitution. he spent $21,000 gambling at the Mohegan Sun casino in Montville, according to the indictment against Cipriano.

http://www.courant.com / Courant.com / By EDMUND H. MAHONY / October 31, 2009

Waynesboro's Eagles Club faces new gambling charges

PA - The Eagles Club Inc. faces new gambling related charges for several alleged violations of state law, according to the Pennsylvania State Police Bureauhas been charged with: Operating or allowing gambling devices or lotteries at the club.

http://www.publicopiniononline.com / By ANDREA RICH / 10-28-09

Woman gets jail for embezzling from Fraternal Order of Eagles

MI - A Jackson County judge sentenced the former chairwoman of the Fraternal Order of Eagles weekend bingo games to 210 days in jail for stealing more than $53,000 from the Jackson club. pleaded guilty last month to embezzling $20,000 to $50,000, a felony. Palmer had likely been shorting the pull-tab program, a charity fundraiser, for at least three years,the club men's and women's groups had to surrender their Friday and Saturday night bingo licenses.

http://www.mlive.com / By Danielle Quisenberry / October 29, 2009

Woman sentenced for bilking ND Job Service agency

ND - A former Job Service North Dakota employee who authorities say bilked the agency out of thousands of dollars has been given a four-year deferred sentence with no jail time.told authorities she stole the money because she has a gambling problem.

http://www.wday.com / AP / October 30, 2009

Woodbridge cops arrest 3 in illegal gambling operation

NJ - Three township men face charges after detectives raided one of their homes and broke up an illegal gambling operation last weekend,

http://www.mycentraljersey.com / By JOSHUA BURD / October 27, 2009