Florida authorities have broken up an illegal online sports betting ring with alleged ties to New York’s Genovese organized crime family. Four individuals appeared at a Broward County bail hearing this week after being arrested with four other men last week following a 16-month investigation.
The accused are facing multiple counts of bookmaking, racketeering conspiracy, money laundering and using two-way communications to facilitate a felony. The credit betting ring reportedly used password-protected websites based outside the country to process wagers while moving money via a network of agents and couriers. Police seized $1.2m from bank accounts, safe deposit boxes and the defendants’ homes.
The multi-state operation, which involved 10 different law enforcement agencies including the FBI, has connections to the federal indictment in August of reputed Genovese family member Daniel Pagano. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said the Florida arm of the ring took in $1.2m since the investigation began in 2013.
MINNESOTA INTRO’S SPORTS BET BILL
As promised, Minnesota state Rep. Phyllis Kahn introduced the latest version of her sports betting bill this week. The HF 765 legislation (read it here) would allow Minnesotans 21 years of age or older to place wagers on sporting events except those involving collegiate events featuring Minnesota teams.
The bill envisions a prime role for the Minnesota Lottery, either offering wagers on its own or in conjunction with a private operator, or merely acting in an oversight capacity. Wagers would have to be made in person – no internet wagers allowed – at ’sports wagering lounges,’ which could include state racetracks. Net winnings will be taxed at 8%. Rules for maximum wagers, the use of credit, the types of wagering tickets and license fees have yet to be determined.
If approved, the bill would take effect July 1, 2015. Should the bill pass, Kahn has said she hopes the state will challenge the 1992 federal PASPA sports betting prohibition in a different federal court district than the one that keeps knocking back New Jersey’s efforts to introduce its own legal sports betting system.
SPORTS LEAGUES V. NEW JERSEY LATEST
Speaking of, the NCAA and the four pro sports leagues opposing New Jersey’s sports betting quest filed their latest briefs with the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday. As with previous filings, the gist is that the state’s plans to tolerate but not officially regulate sports betting at Atlantic City casinos and state racetracks are “cosmetic efforts” to circumvent PASPA.
The leagues say New Jersey’s 2014 law is “no more consistent with PASPA than the invalidated 2012 Law” because the law “ensures that sports gambling will occur only under the conditions of the state’s choosing.” Sparing no rhetorical flourishes, the leagues argue that New Jersey had a choice between either upholding PASPA or announcing an all-out statewide repeal of sports betting, but is instead creating “islands of state-authorized gambling’ in a “sea of prohibitions on sports (and other) gambling.”
Channeling baseball great Yogi Berra, the leagues say the 2014 law is “a case of déjà vu all over again” and the fact that New Jersey doesn’t want to accept the Court’s previous rulings “does not entitle them to another bite at the constitutional apple.”
