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Sports Online Gambling Group Busted by US Customs
NEW YORK, NEW YORK --
An operation overseen by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement spanned several states in taking down an illegal sports betting syndicate using online gambling sites. Agents arrested nine people and seized eleven bank accounts reportedly containing over $400,000 in sports gambling money in New York alone.
While legal experts say there is ample reason to doubt the Department of Justice claim that all Internet gambling is illegal, there is not much argument that operating sports betting is a federal crime. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 outlaws sports gambling where it is not grandfathered, and the Wire Act of 1961 also applies to sports betting, according to US Court of Appeals decisions.
Over 38 people were apprehended in Arizona, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Louisiana, and charged with running an international sports gambling ring.
“Illegal gambling and money laundering are not victimless crimes," said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "The proceeds from illegal sports betting are used to fuel organized crime and support harmful criminal enterprises."
Kelly's point is frequently cited by those seeking to legalize and regulate sports gambling. Wagering on sports brings in hundreds of billions illegally each year in the US.
The Queens District Attorney has also filed a civil action against 18 of the accused, demanding a forfeiture of $178 million, the estimated revenue of the sports gambling ring over the last three years.
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