Looking for stories covering gambling crime? Come and join us as we cover busted Hong Kong and New York mafia gambling syndicates. (Photo by Ana Itonishvili on Unsplash)
The casino industry is not all about software providers, operators, and partnerships. Sometimes it’s a welcome a change and to take a look at some of the more outrageous stories out there. And that’s exactly what I’ve done here. While looking through of the global casino headlines, I dug out some fascinating stories.
We have corrupt cops helping an illegal casino in Hong Kong get away with a police raid unscathed, plus a La Cosa Nostra connected gang operating an illegal online gambling site in the USA.
3 Hong Kong Police Officers Jailed for Fake Illegal Casino Raid
In Hong Kong casinos are illegal. Even the online casino industry, although thriving, is questionable. Of course, like most places in the world, where something is not permitted in Hong Kong, there always seems to be a black market where you can find it, anyway.
In the latest news from the former British territory, you’ll be amazed at the length of three police officers staged a fake raid on an illegal casino run by a triad gang. Yes, you read that correctly ‘police officers’—the guys that are supposed to crack down on the illegal casinos.
When the police task force responsible for cracking down on illegal gambling flagged a casino for a raid target, the three police officers warned the owner. Not only that, but they also swapped out all the expensive casino tables and equipment with cheap knock-off tables and chips. Why do this, you may ask? Simply because, had the task force turned up empty-handed, they would be back for another raid.
It was a clever plan. The task came in and confiscated the fake equipment and walked away, believing it was a job well done. However, another undercover cop who had worked his way into the triad gang operating the casino got wind of the scam. He then told his superiors the entire raid was nothing more than a ruse. Inevitably, the three would-be stage show cops were arrested and handed prison sentences of several months each.
Deputy District Judge Katherine Lo Kit-yee, handed down prison sentences because the crime obstructed justice by those employed to see justice done. Read the full story in the South China Morning Post here.
Agree or Disagree? However much you disagree with laws making gambling illegal, corrupt cops deserve everything they get, so in the end, justice was served regardless. Also, you should always avoid gambling at illegal online casinos. The same applies to the internet. You should always focus your efforts on finding a reputable online casino.
Mafia Racket Exposed in New York For Operating Illegal Online Gambling
The NYC mafia still has its fingers in all kinds of pies. However, most of the activity is illegal, and in the case of this story, unlicensed gambling is the chosen poison. The character in question is allegedly a well-known mob member going by the nickname ‘Soldato’ – real name Anthony Villani – is said to be connected to the Lucchese family.
According to the Fox News story, he and five others were charged with running illegal gambling operations. On top of this, added charges of money laundering and racketeering were brought against the gang.
Unlike the Hong Kong illegal gambling den, this time bets were taken via an online gambling website operated on overseas servers said to be in Costa Rica. The FBI caught wind of the operation, tracked it back to the gang, and with the help of local police caught the site owners in a sting operation.
The website, known, as Rhino Sports, brought in 1,000+ visitors per week. Many of those players were from the Big Apple. It is said that Villani himself took over USD 1 million per year from the site. It is highly likely that some of the bets were to launder mob associates’ cash, too.
The moral of the Story: Always check to see if you are playing at an online gambling site with a licence. The consequences of not doing so could result in the owners taking you for a ride and netting the winnings for themselves. On top of this, unlicensed sites can cheat games. Check out this Endorphina news story – a great example of how fake video slots are easily displayed on unlicensed gambling sites.
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