27 People Arrested In Billion-dollar Illegal Gambling Ring
27 people were arrested and charged in a major illegal gambling bust. Included in the 27 arrested are a former pro baseball scout and a professional poker player.
The amount involved in the illegal online gambling ring rivaled that of sports books. Over a two-year period, police reported that $3.3 billion was wagered using a website, Playwithal.com.
Authorities had in their possession confiscated bounty that include Bellagio casino chips, signed sports memorabilia, and even an artwork from famed painter Salvador Dali.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown says that the online gambling ring had "wagers on horse racing, professional basketball, baseball, and all sorts of other sporting events."
In addition to the 27 individuals arrested in the case, three corporations were also indicted.
With this crackdown on illegal gambling, Washington-based attorney David Stewart has this to say: "I would expect the activity to continue really without much, if any, decline."
Stewart adds as long as the gambling Web site operators never visit the United States they can continue to collect bets from American citizens.
"I don't mean to be cynical. A lot of those people are campaign contributors. As I said, relatives and close friends. No, I don't think that policy will change."
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