The Latest Crime & Legal Disputes in Online Gambling

Have some fun catching up with legal disputes in online gambling. Plus, we include some audacious crimes committed in Spain and the US! (Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels)

If you enjoy reading about casino news and you fancy something a little different, how about a bit of gossip circulating the world gambling grapevine?

Crime, court cases, and other legal disputes are a part of any industry. It happens every so often that the Casinoplusbonus team also likes a change in rhythm when it comes to gambling news. And so here I am with a court case, news of illegal land-based casinos being busted by the cops, and football (soccer) match-fixing in Spain.

OK, so court cases may be different from your thing. The story below is about IGT and the National Lottery, which unsurprisingly favoured the government’s United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC).

Following this, check out how police foiled an illegal casino. But this isn’t just operating a gambling den without the proper licensing, and illegal guns are also in the mix. The phrase ‘illegal guns’ makes this story that much more interesting!

Just off the crime capers so the IGT legal dispute doesn’t have you yawning, there’s also a chance for you to bemoan corruption in sports betting!

Enjoy crime stories? Check out how a Mafia syndicate was busted in Hong Kong and in the Big Apple (NYC) via my previous Crime in the Casino Industry news report.

High Court dismisses damage claims from IGT by ruling in favour of the UK Gambling Commission

In 2021, the UK Gambling Commission awarded a licence for the National Lottery to the well-recognized gambling operator, Allwyn. This decision has resulted in International Game Technology (IGT) taking the Commission to court.

IGT took legal action in 2022, but that original case was dropped, and a second lawsuit was brought before the court. The second case was a claim for damages due to the licensing decision. After a very long legal battle, the High Court has made the ruling that IGT did not have the legal grounds to make this claim against the Gambling Commission so their claims have been dismissed, and so they cannot make any further claims for damages. The only way that IGT can move forward is by appealing against this court judgement to attempt to override it. Whether or not they will take that route remains to be seen.

Did you know? IGT acquired and currently operates the iSoftBet software provider. The casino company also famous for its land-based video slots. For additional insights into the land-based video slot scene and other software providers involved, consult the Casinoplusbonus arcade video slots resource.

Four people arrested in an illegal casino raid and will appear in court on gun charges

An illegal casino was raided on 5 July in Oakland, California. It resulted in four people between the ages of 19 and 23 being arrested, and they will appear in court on gun-related charges. All of the arrestees were in possession of illegal firearms. In addition to the four gun-related arrests, the police also made various seizures, including slot machines, records, other gambling equipment, and an amount of cash not disclosed to the public.

According to the City Council, properties have been raided multiple times, with illegal activities continuing in the same locations with the hopes that they will not be raided again.

As soon as one operation is shut down, another one pops up. Property owners have also been warned that they can receive penalties when illegal activities are discovered on their properties.

Soccer match-fixing led to the arrest of 17 people in Spain, including the club president

Reports were made to the police about the suspected betting fraud surrounding a local team from Melilla, Spain. Multiple reports came due to suspicious wagers placed on the local soccer matches. An investigation followed, leading to 17 people being arrested in Melilla and Granada.

The identity of the suspected soccer club was kept a secret. However, it is alleged that the soccer club president conspired with club players to alter the outcome of matches. The police believe that the president and his associates then involved third parties to place wagers to avoid suspicion. The police have also discovered that the same soccer club is involved in fraud related to subsidies. The police are continuing with the investigation and claim that it is likely that more arrests will be made. At this point, it is unclear how much betting operators lost due to the fraud.

Read more about legal disputes, fines, and crime in gambling: In 2022, an exciting story was published covering slot machine crime! It covers a caper in which a gang of 4 ripped off land-based slots to the rune of USD 400,000.