Super Bowl Gambling – not as harmless as you might think.

Super Bowl Sunday brings about lots of excitement with the electricity of stats and facts, the Who Dat Nation and a Manning Legacy.  Super Bowl Sunday is also one of the largest social gambling events in the nation. The Morning Sentinel points to the 2007 Super Bowl as having an estimated $8 billion in wagers placed on its outcome. This flashy, center-stage event brings out several “social” gamblers, some of whom consider placing little bets here and there harmless. The article explains that experts have information to the contrary.

Guy Cousins, acting director of Maine Office of Substance Abuse, is referenced as estimating that 3 to 5 percent of those who participate in wagering will become problem gamblers. Another expert mentioned, Lee Thompson, president of the Maine Council on Problem Gambling explained, “We’ve seen an increase in the calls from Maine to the Nation Council on Problem Gambling hotline, from eight calls a month in 2003 to over 100 a month in 2006.”

It appears that the glitzy glam of the Super Bowl attracts people to make social wagers, a harmless bit of fun in their mind. But the dollar amount waged on the Super Bowl climbs each year, as does the number of problem gamblers. The Super Bowl garners over three times the amount wagered on NCAA basketball’s March Madness.

Is this a harmless Sunday addition to one of America’s most popular day of sports? The numbers show it only to be a growing problem.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

UPDATE: Gaming Commission votes 4-0 to shut down the President Casino

Casino Watch Focus reported that the State asked the Missouri Gaming Commission to shut down the President Casino. The St Louis Post Dispatch is reporting that the Gaming Commission voted 4-0 to shut down the President, claiming the President’s decline has been deliberate:

When Pinnacle Entertainment bought the President Casino in late 2006, the casino on the St. Louis riverfront employed 552 people and took in $67 million a year from gamblers.

But in the next 2½ years, the new owner jettisoned the buffet, the deli, slot machines on the second deck and most table games. The staff was cut by more than half. Annual revenue dipped to $23 million.

That decline formed the basis for the Missouri Gaming Commission’s unanimous decision Wednesday to take the first step to yank the license of the President, which is housed on the historic Admiral boat at Laclede’s Landing.

Pinnacle Entertainment has 30 days to appeal the decision and be granted a hearing in front of the commission, but this decision could take months as it can go through the courts as well.  As the Post is reporting, Pinnacle will be challenging that decision:

A Pinnacle executive called the move outrageous and vowed to fight it. Jack Godfrey, executive vice president and general counsel for Pinnacle, said the company spent $45 million to buy the President out of bankruptcy and was willing to spend millions more to fix the boat’s aging hull. “We have done nothing wrong,” said Godfrey, who promised to “examine all our legal remedies.”

Stay tuned to Casino Watch Focus for updates regarding this situation.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

State Regulators to ask the Gaming Commission to shut down The President Casino

Casino Watch Focus has been reporting on the situation regarding the President Casino’s license.  The Missouri Gaming commission has made its position very clear – they want the President closed down so the license can go to a new Missouri Casino, possibly in the Spanish Lake area of north St Louis.  Now the St Louis Post Dispatch is reporting that the State will be formally asking the Commission to shut down the Casino:

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday morning, Pinnacle Entertainment, which owns the downtown riverboat, said it was told last week by state regulators that they will ask the Missouri Gaming Commission on Wednesday to close the President, effective July 1.

In a sharply-worded letter to Pinnacle’s interim CEO John Giovenco, Gaming Commission Executive Director Gene McNary says the company has let the casino operate for the last year at an “unacceptable level” and has no apparent plans to change that.

“It has become abundantly clear Pinnacle intends to hold on to the President’s license as long as possible with no intention of improving its operations,” McNary wrote.

Casino Watch Focus reported that Pinnacle planned to fix the hull of the Admiral so the President Casino would pass safety measures by the Coast Guard. In the letter filled with Securities and Exchange Commission, McNary was quoted as saying that Pinnacle’s efforts are just “another ploy aimed at retaining the President’s license while its operations continue to decline.”  In response, Pinnacle has filed a lawsuit in Missouri’s Western District Court of Appeals.

Contact your local representatives and let them know the General Assembly should take that license away from the MGC and thus protect the people of MO from yet another place to lose hard to come by money.  Surely 12 casinos in the State is enough.  Or is the General Assembly interested in making more losers in the State?

Stay tuned to Casino Watch Focus for updates regarding this situation.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A brief look at crime 1/18 – 1/24

Atlantic City man gets 20 years in theft from Taj Mahal

An Atlantic City man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after he held up a Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort employee at gunpoint and took a deposit bag with $73,834, First Assistant Prosecutor Murray Talasnik said. Tyrone Daniels, 39, was convicted of the crime last month and must serve 85 percent of his term before being eligible for parole, Talasnik said.  Co-conspirator Margaret Robertson, who worked in the general cashiering office of the Taj Mahal, testified at trial that she stole an access card, gave it to Daniels and told him when the bank-deposit bag would be ready, said Diane Ruberton, who prosecuted the case.

Couple dead in hotel: Suicide

HEAVILY in debt, a businessman and his woman friend decided to end their lives in a hotel room by burning charcoal.  Chia Eng Soon, 43, a bankrupt, had borrowed money from illegal moneylenders and owed them about $13,000. He had also borrowed from relatives and could not control his gambling habit, an inquiry heard.  Chia and Yap Mui Teng, 39, were found lying motionless on a bed at Fragrance Hotel in Upper Serangoon Road last Aug 15, a few days after he had celebrated the birthday of his wife, Madam Ling Siew Hong, 46.

Bank boss admits stealing to pay off gambling debts

A FORMER bank manager who transferred more than £130,000 of customers’ money into his own account to pay off gambling debts has been told he could face a spell in jail. Guildford Crown Court heard on Friday that he transferred sums of money ranging from £3,570 to £9,000 on 18 separate occasions.  Gifford pleaded guilty to 25 counts of fraud, which included charging £2,392 for tickets to the Isle of Wight which he did not possess.

Police: Casino crooks caught

Two men who followed people home from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and robbed them of their winnings at gunpoint have been caught, Tampa Police said. Edgardo Rivera and Christopher Neff are now facing robbery charges. According to Det. Jeff McGrath with Tampa Police, on three separate occasions in January, Rivera and Neff would follow big winners around the casino. When the people would leave the casino, Rivera and Neff would follow them home in their car, McGrath said. Once they got to the house, McGrath said Rivera and Neff would use a stun gun and a real gun to rob the people of their winnings.

Toms River woman admits stealing from Point Pleasant church charity

A 56-year-old Toms River woman Tuesday admitted stealing $18,000 from a church charity in a series of withdrawals with a pilfered ATM card. The defendant’s plea bargain calls for her to receive a four-year prison term when she is sentenced by Hodgson on March 5, said Senior Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Martin J. Anton. She also said she had a gambling problem that fueled the thefts.  “At that time, my mind was not good, but I knew what I did was wrong,” Iacopino said. “You were referring to a gambling problem,” Falcetano clarified, with which Iacopino agreed.

Woman to repay $166K for bank embezzlement

A former bank teller has been ordered to serve 33 months in prison and repay $166,834 for money stolen from American Bank and Trust in Miller. Susan Mareska pleaded guilty in November to a federal bank embezzlement charge as part of a plea agreement in which prosecutors dismissed other charges. According to court documents, Mareska developed a gambling habit and created false bank transactions to embezzle money over a seven year period.

Woman Arrested for Helping Kill More Than 2,000 Greyhounds Is Training Dogs in Florida Again

A woman arrested on felony charges for helping kill more than 2,000 greyhounds from all over the state has been training racing dogs again in Florida as recently as last week.  Ursula O’Donnell was charged with felony animal cruelty in November 2002 after allegedly hiring an Alabama man to shoot and bury greyhounds under her care. According to documents obtained by the Juice, O’Donnell allegedly sent dogs from as far away as Palm Beach and Orlando to Robert Rhodes, a security guard at the Pensacola dog track, who told police he shot the greyhounds for about $10 each. For more than 20 years, Rhodes crassly (and illegally) disposed of greyhounds that were no longer fast enough to compete on the track by shooting them with a .22-caliber pistol.

Postal worker embezzled funds to feed gambling addiction

A postal worker from northeastern Oregon admitted today that she stole cash and money orders from the U.S. Postal Service to feed a gambling addiction and help support her adult children.  June Marie Newburn, a 50-year-old resident of Joseph, was sentenced today in Eugene to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $156,462 in restitution to the  Postal Service, federal prosecutors reported.

27-HOUR ORDEAL: Kidnappers nab tourist from Strip

A 40-year-old tourist staying at Caesars Palace was abducted at gunpoint on the Strip last week and held for more than 24 hours while four suspects stole money and valuables from him, Las Vegas police said Wednesday. Lt. Clint Nichols said the tourist was kidnapped at “random” by two suspects about 5 a.m. Friday at a pedestrian overpass near Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road. He was beaten at the apartment. During the course of 24 hours, the suspects got away with his casino winnings, money from ATM accounts and jewelry. They also ransacked his hotel room, Nichols said.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Florida Gov Crist’s deal with the Seminole Indians voted down in committee

Casino Watch Focus has been providing updates to the gambling compact between the Florida Legislature and the Seminole Indians.  It was last determined that no special session would be extended for the negotiations, thus setting the compact back to square one.  With the legislative session beginning, the first step in moving the compact forward is to vote on the compact in a committee.  The Miami Herald is reporting the results of that committee vote:

In a 10-minute meeting intended as a rebuke to Gov. Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe, a Florida House committee shot down the governor’s gambling agreement with the tribe and offered up a bill that would give financial relief to its gambling competitors.

The Seminole Indian compact review committee voted 15-0 to reject both the governor’s gambling agreement and the $225 million the tribe had set aside for the state’s education system if a compact had been completed. It then voted 15-2 to lower the tax rate on slot machines at South Florida parimutuels and loosened some gambling limits.

The next step, House leaders say, is for the federal government to shut down slot machines and blackjack tables at the tribe’s casinos until a compact is signed.

Casino Watch Focus originally reported that the Florida house speaker asked the National Indian Gaming Commission to stop the illegal table games in tribal casinos.  The Herald is reporting that The NGIC is still monitoring the situation and has yet to intervene in the matter:

In November, House Speaker Larry Cretul sent a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission, which regulates tribal gaming, urging it to halt the tribe’s casino games because their “ability to profit from these illegal games creates a disincentive to enter into a compact, and places the state at a significant disadvantage in negotiating games to which it never gave its consent.”

The tribe is running Las Vegas-style slot machines, blackjack, baccarat and other table games based on a 2007 compact that was invalidated by the Florida Supreme Court because it allowed the tribe to operate games that were illegal under Florida law. Crist signed a new compact with the tribe on Aug. 31, but it is not valid unless the Legislature ratifies it.

NIGC spokesman Shawn Pensoneau said the agency is monitoring the compact issue in Florida but there would be no immediate action. Galvano said he expects a decision could come this month.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A brief look at crime 1/11 – 1/17

Ex-BetonSports CEO gets prison time in plea deal

ST. LOUIS — A man who helped build one of the world’s largest Internet gambling companies, only to see it crumble after an indictment by U.S. prosecutors, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison Friday on federal racketeering charges.  David Carruthers pleaded guilty in April to racketeering conspiracy. Authorities said Carruthers is cooperating in the case against others associated with his company, BetonSports, and has agreed to testify against them if necessary.

Ore. woman accused of embezzling nearly $140,000

Douglas County authorities arrested a Days Creek secretary accused of embezzling almost $140,000 from her employer to support a gambling habit.  Cheryl Kluegl has been charged with theft and forgery and is being held at the county jail.  According to the sheriff’s office, the employer told investigators his secretary had been writing checks to herself without his permission since 2006.

Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing $135K in Public Funds

A former south suburban library district president was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty Wednesday to spending more than $135,000 in library funds to gamble at riverboat casinos.  Susan Quirk, the wife of a Posen police sergeant, pleaded guilty to theft and official misconduct, and was sentenced to two years probation, 130 hours of community service and a six-month probation curfew, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokesman Andy Conkln said. Quirk was also ordered to undergo therapy and attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings and pay full restitution of $137,708.29, Conklin said.  Beginning in 2001, Quirk, 58, allegedly withdrew money from Posen Public Library District accounts by writing checks to herself, prosecutors said.

3 Men Charged in Online Gambling Scheme

A one time Evangelist pastor and three other men were charged for running an elaborate $10 million online gambling scheme on Monday. The arrests come 11 months after a raid of the Gold Coast offices of Alan Davenport for allegedly bilking investors out of $10 million on a “sports arbitrage” scheme.  Davenport, once a pastor for the now defunct Reach Out for Christ Pentecostal church, ran the online gambling enterprise from his Australian home under the name World Trade Systems (WTS).

Man sentenced for embezzling thousands from his friend

Sixty-seven year old Pawcatuck resident George Flynn was sentenced to two years in prison today for embezzling $45,000 from a disabled friend over a seven-year period, telling the victim he was making payments into a “lottery account” that would make him rich. “The odds (of winning the lottery) are like walking out of your house and getting struck by lightning seven times in a row, but the state has no problem promoting it,” Scillieri said.  Handy told Flynn she has no problem with people playing the lottery, “as long as they’re spending their own money.”  She sentenced Flynn to five years in prison, suspended after two years served, and five years probation.

21 Gamblers Caught While Engrossed In Cockfighting

Police raided a cockfighting enclave and managed to round up 21 of the 50 gamblers who were engrossed in gambling activities on top of a hill in Junjong, near here on Sunday’s night.  When police from Kulim and the Kedah police headquarters raided the spot at about 8.30pm, the 50 odd gamblers tried to escape the police drag net but 21 were caught, including the mastermind who was in his 40s while gambling equipment was also seized.

Police search for robbers of Hard Rock winner in New Tampa

TAMPA — Police are searching for three suspects in a New Tampa armed robbery.   About 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Aris D. Williams, 23, was in front of his home when two men with revolvers approached him and demanded money. Williams had just won money gambling at the Hard Rock Casino, and detectives say the men followed him home. Williams threw his cash to the ground, and when one of the suspects reached down to pick it up, he dropped his revolver and one round went off. No one was injured.

Ex-White Plains pastor gets no jail time for gambling-fueled theft from church

The former pastor of a city church was sentenced today to time served and given five years probation for stealing $432,000 from his parish to feed his gambling habit. The Rev. Patrick Dunne of Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church apologized for his actions, admitted to a gambling “addiction” and said he had hoped to raise money for the church through gambling.

Gambling suicides on the rise in Ontario

Gambling suicides are up slightly, with 13 of them taking place in 2007, according to new figures from the Ontario coroner’s office, and officials say the actual number is probably higher.  “Sometimes it’s not immediately obvious that someone who has harmed themselves has a history of gambling,” Ontario’s chief coroner Andrew McCallum said in a phone interview Tuesday. “The numbers probably under-represent the true figures. … People who commit suicide often don’t leave a note.”

Man laundered $500,000 in casino: police

SYDNEY, Australia — A man, who has been charged with eight counts of money laundering, appeared in court yesterday in Sydney, nine MSN news reported.  Zheng Tan is accused of flying straight to a Melbourne casino after making the cash withdrawal, the nine MSN report said. Tan was refused bail and will appear in court again Feb 23, 2010, according to nine MSN.

Man charged with robbing, kidnapping woman after night at casino

After playing blackjack for several hours at Mystic Lake Casino on Jan. 2, an Eagan woman accepted a ride home from a man she met earlier that night, who then robbed her at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her, according to charges filed by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office this week.

Neville Grant, 35, of Plymouth, was charged with first-degree aggravated robbery, kidnapping and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct on Tuesday. He was later arrested by the sheriff’s office in Hennepin County, where he is also a suspect in a similar case that also occurred on Jan. 2 in Minneapolis.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Take stand against Missouri House Reps Grill and Colona’s bill to urge Congress to lift ban on sports betting

An online source is reporting that the Missouri House legislature’s Grill and Colona have introduced a bill to urge Congress to lift sport betting rules:

A resolution in the Missouri House asking the US Congress to lift PASPA, proposed by Reps. Grill & Colona, both Democrats:

House Concurrent Resolution No. 22

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES GRILL (Sponsor) AND COLONA (Co-sponsors).

3818L.02I

…therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-fifth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby urge the United States Congress to remove the federal ban on sports wagering;

This piece of legislation, however, is far from being enacted.  The resolution must be assigned to a committee and face public hearings before it could be voted on by the committee, much less advance to the full House floor.   It is also a “House Concurrent Resolution” that would require both the House and Senate adoption, thus facing the entire legislative process.  Use this time to contact your local House and Senate representative and tell them to oppose such measures.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A brief look at crime 1/04 – 1/10

Suspected illegal gambling manager shot dead

BATANGAS CITY, Philippines—A man suspected of being a jueteng table manager (an illegal numbers game) was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in San Juan, Batangas, Sunday night, police said Monday. Investigation showed that Quirino Morillo, 35, had just alighted from his black motorcycle at around 6:40 p.m. in Barangay (village) Calubcub 1st, when the gunman approached from behind and shot him several times.

La Cosa Nostra captain, associates plead guilty in Manhattan courtrooms

Federal law enforcement officials in New York City ended 2009 by taking a big bite out of organized crime in two separate cases: one involving Gambino Crime Family associates, the other involving a captain with the Genevese Crime Family. There are five families running La Cosa Nostra (‘our thing”) organized crime in New York.

Two associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family, Letterio DeCarlo and Thomas Dono, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court to participating in a conspiracy that resulted in the murder Frank Hydell on April 28, 1998. The defendants also admitted to their participation in a conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business in the late 1990s, according to documents examined by the National Association of Chiefs of Police’s Organized Crime Committee.

Scores Arrested in North Texas Cockfight Raid

About 169 people have been arrested in a cockfight raid northwest of Fort Worth. Authorities said sheriff’s deputies also seized 114 roosters Saturday near Poolville in north Parker County. Sheriff Larry Fowler said Child Protective Services workers also took custody of 10 to 15 children ages 7 to 15. Fowler says drugs and cash were seized and dead and injured roosters were found. He says the raid site had been under surveillance for two weeks. The sheriff says those arrested will be charged with a gambling offense, and that organized crime charges may be considered against some.

Three sentenced to death in southeast China gang trial

Three people were sentenced to death, one with a two-year reprieve, for gang-related crimes by a local in southeast China’s Fujian Province, according to the verdict released Sunday.   The court found that Ke began to organize the criminal gang at the end of 2005, and the gang had since then committed crimes including running illegal gambling dens, lending usury and demanding repayment of debts via illegal measures to gain profits, and committed murder, intentional injuries, and causing disturbances to disrupt local economic and social order in Shancheng Township, Nanjing County which is under the administration of Zhangzhou.

Union treasurer admits embezzlement

The former secretary-treasurer of Communications Workers Local Union 86823 pleaded guilty to the embezzlement of more than $110,000.  Sherell Mitchell, 45, of St. Louis County, admitted to writing unauthorized checks to herself and withdrawing cash directly from the union’s account to spend at a local casino, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Reap said Tuesday.

Former RI Senate aide accused in $70,000 theft

A former aide to the Rhode Island state Senate with an apparent gambling habit stole roughly $70,000 from the state by forging payroll checks, prosecutors said Tuesday.  Raymond “Chip” Hoyas Jr. pleaded not guilty in Providence Superior Court on Tuesday to 52 counts of forgery and one count each of larceny and obtaining money under false pretenses in excess of $500. Prosecutors say he forged checks in the names of dozens of Senate pages and deposited the money in his bank account. “This is corruption at its core and something that is criminal and unforgivable,” said state Attorney General Patrick Lynch, himself a former Senate page. “It’s a betrayal of the public’s trust.”

Reputed mobster pleads guilty in racketeering case

A reputed high-ranking member of the Gambino crime family in New Jersey pleaded guilty to federal racketeering conspiracy charges today, admitting he led a crew that profited from illegal gambling, loan-sharking, extortion, identity theft, fraud and labor racketeering.  Andrew Merola of East Hanover confessed his guilt during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark. He became the 20th defendant to make a deal with prosecutors and plead guilty to charges outlined in a sweeping May 2008 racketeering indictment.

Caught on Tape: Robbers take $100,000 from casino truck stop

A pair of masked robbers stole $100,000 from a casino truck stop in New Orleans early Monday morning while technicians were taking money out of gambling machines, according to the NOPD.  The surveillance video of 15 cameras shows the crime from start to finish. Co-owner Robert Maloney said the robbers forced the cashier to bag $100,000 in about two minutes time.

Wood River woman gets 30-month sentence

A judge Thursday sentenced a Wood River woman to 30 months in prison in connection with the looting of a family-owned heating and cooling business in Wood River.  U.S. District Judge Michael J. Reagan sentenced Mary R. Storer, 40, a former employee of Elk Heating and Cooling, to a jail term and more than $266,000 in restitution to the company.  Prosecutors said Storer pleaded guilty and admitted she had taken money from the firm and gambled it away at area casinos. On Thursday, prosecutors presented evidence that she lost more than $200,000 in 2007 alone.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

UPDATE: NBA’s Gilbert Arenas suspended indefinitely by NBA over gambling related gun dispute

Casino Watch Focus reported that Washington Wizard’s teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were alleged to have pulled guns on one another in the locker room after a gambling related dispute.  The NBA does allow its players to own firearms, but they are prohibited from places like team locker rooms.  Forbes is reporting that the NBA Commissioner has suspended Arenas from the NBA indefinitely:

A day after the Washington Wizards guard was photographed before a game in Philadelphia pointing his index fingers, as if they were guns, at his teammates, Stern warned the former All-Star that his conduct will “ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse.”

Arenas is under investigation by federal and local authorities after admittedly bringing guns to the Wizards’ locker room. Stern originally planned to wait to take action, but he tired of Arenas’ behavior.  Though Arenas first apologized Monday for his poor judgment and promised “to do better in the future”, he also joked on Twitter about the incident and the media firestorm it created. That was exactly the wrong tact for Stern, whose league has taken another public relations hit.

Arenas has been suspended without pay and stands to lose millions this season.  After his wallet was hit, Arenas finally offered a sincere apology for his actions.  Forbes continues:

With each game he misses, Arenas will lose about $147,200 of the $16.2 million he will earn this season in the second of a six-year, $111 million contract. The punishment came on his 28th birthday.

“I feel very badly that my actions have caused the NBA to suspend me, but I understand why the league took this action,” Arenas said in a statement through his attorney. “I put the NBA in a negative light and let down my teammates and our fans. I am very sorry for doing that.”

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A brief look at crime 12/28 – 1/03

Gunman, other man dead at Calif casino office

The bodies were discovered about five hours later when authorities sent two robots to the office, Gore said. He declined to identify the victim until his family was notified. “Our worst fears were confirmed,” Gore told reporters outside the convention center of the Barona Resort and Casino. “It appears to be a murder-suicide.”

A man who was fired from his job at a Southern California casino shot and killed a man in his former manager’s office Tuesday, then fatally turned the gun on himself, authorities said. Donnell Roberts, 38, walked into the Barona Gaming Commission building around 10 a.m. with a shotgun slung over his shoulder, ordered three secretaries to leave, then quickly opened fire in the manager’s office, said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore. Another 13 to 15 people fled through a back door, Gore said. Witnesses heard three shots.

School fund embezzler still free of charges

In one of the biggest embezzlement cases in state history, Kathy Borrego was terminated this July for writing more than 500 checks from a school district account, yet as 2009 comes to a close, still no charges are filed against her despite new information revealed in court documents. Earlier last month, Eyewitness News 4 reported how Borrego remains free and uncharged despite accusations she stole $3.3 million dollars from the Jemez Mountain school district. An audit states she wrote 538 district checks to herself and others over a period of years.

Summer shocker: Parks director Reber charged with stealing funds

Many in the Pottstown community were shocked to learn of theft allegations against former Parks and Recreation Director John Reber when the announcement came that he was the target of an investigation in late July. Just weeks after investigators confirmed Reber was the focus of an investigation into missing funds from Independence Day LTD, a nonprofit that provided funds for Pottstown’s July Fourth celebration, Reber turned himself in to police. He was arraigned on charges including theft by deception, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, misapplication of entrusted property, receiving stolen property and access device fraud. Investigators alleged he stole $15,721 from the July Fourth fund.

Home Aide Steals $527,000 from Elderly Elk Grove Couple

A former in-home healthcare aide was sentenced in Sacramento County Superior Court Tuesday to four years in prison after pleading no contest to stealing more than $500,000 from an elderly Elk Grove couple and tax evasion.  Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Lani Biafore said Jocelyn Pascual Wong, a Phillippine citizen in the U.S. illegally, befriended the couple and was given full house privileges. The victims, retired school teachers, became so fond of Wong they referred to her as their daughter, according to Biafore. Wong began asking the couple for money four years ago, saying she would repay it, investigators found. Wong admitted to Elk Grove police she didn’t intend to pay back the money and didn’t claim the income on taxes, Biafore said. Wong took $527,000 from the couple for gambling, according to Biafore.

Laurel man shot to death

A 35-year-old Laurel man was shot to death Monday night and authorities said it may have stemmed from an argument over gambling. Police were called to a home in the 800 block of Sandy T. Gavin Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. Officials said the victim was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. A suspect is in custody, and police say he will be charged with murder. Names of the victim or suspect have not been released.

Man Orders Attack On Trader After Losing Gambling Game

Angry over losing money in a gambling game, a man hired two men to rob and slash a trader at a house in Lorong Galing 34, Jalan Haji Ahmad here, on Tuesday. The 49-year-old victim, who was suffered a slight injury to his body after being attacked with a machete by two men, contacted the police at 2am, said Pahang CID chief ACP T. Narenasagaran. He said the police arrested a 34-year-old man, who had earlier played a gambling game with the victim at an entertainment outlet here, in connection with the attack and attempted robbery.  Following the arrest, the police picked up two men aged 22 and 28, he told reporters here on Wednesday.

Shooting suspect’s relatives sought on felony charges

Two relatives of an Outlook teenager accused of shooting at Yakima County sheriff’s deputies face cockfighting charges.  Authorities say the pair’s roosters and fighting gear were discovered when state gambling investigators searched the teenager’s home after the July shooting, which wounded Deputy Bobby Miranda and missed Deputy Chris Stearley. His parents have said he was at their Outlook home when the shooting happened. He awaits trial on two counts of attempted murder.  Warrants for the two men’s arrest remained active as of Tuesday, according to the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office. The state Gambling Commission often handles cockfighting investigations.

Fireman charged in thefts

The treasurer of a Dupont volunteer fire company who admitted to losing about a quarter million dollars gambling was charged by police Wednesday with stealing more than $60,000 from the organization’s relief association. John Thomas Lyons, 31, of Main Street, Avoca, told investigators he used most of the money to gamble at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Mount Airy Casino Resort.  Another company officer, whose allegedly forged signatures appeared on checks made out to Lyons, said Lyons told her the thefts began after he won a jackpot of around $1,600 at the Mohegan Sun casino and an additional $700 more while gambling.

Couple arrested for abandoning daughter to gamble

A couple were arrested early on New Year’s Day and accused of leaving their 8-year-old daughter alone in a hotel room while they gambled at the Hard Rock Casino.  Donovan Jewell, 42, and his wife, Nancy Ellen Jewell, 41, were charged with child abuse by neglect and were each being held in lieu of $2,000 bail.  According to reports from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the couple left their daughter alone at the La Quinta Inn from 10 p.m. until 4-4:30 a.m., when the scared, crying child awoke and went to the lobby for help, worried because her mother was not there.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Washington Wizards’ teammates pull guns on each other over gambling debt

The Washington Wizards NBA basketball team used to be named the Washington Bullets.  It was believed the name ‘Bullets’ promoted gun violence and in an area with such high crime rates as Washington DC, the decision was made to clean up the name and hopefully the image.  Unfortunately for the NBA, the Wizzards, and the city of DC, a recent action has cast a very negative light on that image.  Forbes online reports:

Washington Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton reportedly drew guns on each other during a locker-room argument over a gambling debt. Crittenton became angry at Arenas for refusing to make good on a gambling debt, according to a New York Post report citing an unidentified source. That prompted Arenas to draw on Crittenton, who then grabbed for a gun, league security sources told the Post. The newspaper said the dispute occurred Dec. 24, and Arenas denied pulling a gun on Crittenton.

On Tuesday, Washington police said they were investigating a report that weapons were found inside a Verizon Center locker room. On Friday, D.C. police said it was assisting the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the investigation.  Players’ union executive director Billy Hunter called the matter “unprecedented in the history of sports.” “I’ve never heard of players pulling guns on each other in a locker room,” he told the Post.

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A Brief Look at Crime 12/21 – 12/27

Gambino associates admit role in mob murder

Two associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family, Letterio Decarlo and Thomas Dono, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to participating in a conspiracy that resulted in the murder Frank Hydell on April 28, 1998. The defendants also admitted to their participation in a conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business in the late 1990s.

One of the goals of the Gambino Organized Crime Family was to protect its members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement, by intimidating and seeking reprisal against individuals who provided testimony or other information to law enforcement. As associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family, DeCarlo and Dono committed various crimes, including murder, assault, robbery, burglary, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice.

Gambler sets herself ablaze

MADAM Wee Chiok was a familiar face on casino cruises and enjoyed playing mahjong with her friends for cash stakes.  When the 67-year-old retiree’s finances could not keep up with her gambling habit, she turned to loan sharks.  Pressed to make good on her debts, she killed herself on Feb 6 by setting herself alight. Investigations revealed that the extent of her debt was $4,500.

Theft results in 2-year term

A former property manager was sentenced Friday in Allen Superior Court to two years in prison for her theft of more than $500,000 from a local mobile home park. Poulson apologized for taking the money, but her attorney argued that she did so because of a gambling addiction and the stress of a medical diagnosis. Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull sentenced Poulson to two years in prison and two years on probation and ordered her to pay $524,123 in restitution.

Cockfighting Ring Busted; Several Arrested

A weekend raid on a LaSalle County cockfighting event led to the arrests of 10 people allegedly taking part in the illegal competition, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced Monday. A team of 50 officers from multiple jurisdictions raided a barn in Earlville, about 90 minutes outside Cook County, on Saturday. Dart’s office said the cockfighting operation had been based at the farm property for at least five years, generating illegal revenue that may have been used to finance drug and gun purchases. In cockfighting, specially trained roosters, or “gamecocks,” fight to the death. The roosters are bred for aggressiveness and often pumped with steroids and armed with razor-sharp steel picks on their legs.

Mafia Ties Suspected With Online Gambling Site

Paradise Bet, a gambling firm based out of the United Kingdom, has recently seen its license suspended. This comes after an asset freezing, as authorities have been investigating the possibility of the site’s involvement with the Mafia. Though the license to operate these gambling sites has been revoked, the implications of the best run even deeper. Amongst the arrests were seventy four people, including the leader of the Parisi Clan, Savino Parisi. According to reports, politicians and businessmen had also been implicated in the investigation. Amongst the crimes were loan-sharking, drug trafficking, attempted murder, and money laundering.

Liverpool fan’s cause of suicide was gambling

He was such a die-hard fan of Liverpool Football Club that he wore the familiar bright red team jersey even in death. The body of Teo Kok Hun, 33, was found hanging from a bathroom window by his wife on Oct 26, a day after the club had beat archrivals Manchester United.  Mr Teo, a driver, was clad in the football jersey with a pair of bermuda shorts. A suicide note was found on the living room table. In the suicide note to his wife, father and close friends, Mr Teo Kok Hun, 33, confessed his addiction to football gambling.

Former Redding teacher in trouble again, charged with thefts and drug counts

A one-time second-grade teacher who in 2004 was sentenced to 10 years in prison for second-degree burglary and other charges may not have learned her lesson, police allege. Diane Denise Fisher of Redding has been charged with 14 new felony counts, including receiving stolen property, grand theft, drug possession and identity theft.

Fisher, who was arraigned Monday in Shasta County Superior Court, is accused, among other things, of stealing her mother’s name and Social Security number to fraudulently open credit card accounts, according to a Redding Police Department investigative report.

She allegedly used those credit cards to obtain goods and services totaling more that $13,000 and to take out cash advances at a Corning casino, the report said.  Although she initially denied it, Fisher later admitted to investigators that she used her mother’s name and other information to obtain credit cards and finance her gambling habit, the police report said.

Multiple Casino Robberies Take Place In December

Though the holidays are meant to be a time of sharing and joy, some who have fallen upon hard times have turned to criminal mischief in order to claim some ill gotten gains. While the recession has hurt many, the crime of robbery has begun to hurt even more. Several casino robberies have taken place, with some rather large heists currently being investigated.

The Black Diamond Casino in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was one of the most recent robberies to take place. A Wednesday afternoon in late December saw a rather festive burglar enter a casino shortly after 3:00. In broad daylight, this robber entered the casino in a Santa suit, toting a firearm.

Man gets 6-year sentence for embezzling money

A 69-year-old Santa Rosa man was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay $1.8 million dollars in restitution for embezzling money from a Petaluma company. Dave Crockett, the company’s CEO, told the Press Democrat that Merman spent the money on gambling and “high living.” “This is a very sad situation, where the defendant took advantage of an elderly business owner’s health condition. This prison sentence will ensure that he will not have an opportunity to commit elder financial abuse any time in the near future,” Passalacqua said.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A Brief Look at Crime 12/14 – 12/20

Gambling ringleader goes to prison

A man who claimed he was a member of the mafia and ran a large-scale illegal gambling and loan-sharking operation in Denver that contributed to two suicides was sentenced Monday to 16 years in prison. The bald 49-year-old wore jet-black eye glasses, a yellow jail jumpsuit and had a small tattoo on his right forearm as he stood before Jefferson County District Judge Philip McNulty. Just minutes earlier, prosecutors had reminded the judge that Castardi had bragged that he’d been a bookie for the Gambino crime family on the East Coast for most of his adult life.

Woman must repay money stolen from firm

A pathological addiction to VLT gambling ate up all of the $112,146 Lillian Arlene Lockyer embezzled from her employer during the course of a year.  Lockyer, 50, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of fraud dating from May 2007 to May 2008. She was handed a conditional sentence of two years less one day to be served in the community. That will be followed by three years on probation.

Gambling addict’s violent robberies

A GAMBLING addict who carried out two terrifying robberies on a shop assistant and a taxi driver in Birmingham has been given an indeterminate prison sentence.  In passing a sentence of imprisonment for public protection on Zico Davis, Judge Robert Orme said he represented a “significant risk” to members of the public of serious harm.

Graham Henson, prosecuting, said his first victim, who was known to the defendant, worked in a family-run shop with her uncle. When the shop closed at 8pm she left by a rear door and got into her car. “She started the engine and the car door suddenly opened and she saw, as it turned out, this defendant holding an Army-style combat knife in one hand, which he pointed at her.”

Three weeks later Davis struck again after he and another man got into a taxi. After directing the driver to the Winson Green area one of the men then produced a revolver with a long barrel. Threats were made to shoot the driver, who handed over £100. He was then told to hand over more money and pistol-whipped with the butt of the gun.

Melson ordered to stand trial in School Land Office embezzlement case

Attorney General Drew Edmondson says Melson is accused of 174 counts of embezzlement for allegedly taking more than $1.16 million in royalty payments intended for the Land Office. He was indicted in June by the state multicounty grand jury. Prosecutors say he allegedly diverted the money to himself to feed a gambling habit. Melson faces between one and 20 years in prison on each count and possible fines and restitution if convicted.

Former NYC Law Department Attorney Admits Starting Mortgage Scam to Pay Gambling Debts

A former New York City Law Department attorney admitted Friday that he had defrauded two victims in a mortgage scam to pay off gambling debts.  Hugh A. Zuber, who worked in the Law Department’s special federal litigation division, pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud before Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Andrew Peck. Zuber, who invented both a state court lawsuit and a federal bankruptcy proceeding in a desperate attempt to avoid detection, ripped off one victim for $198,820 and a second for $185,151. He will be ordered to pay those amounts in restitution, forfeit $301,250 and pay a fine of between $6,000 and $60,000 when he is sentenced by Judge Richard M. Berman.

High-Stakes Poker Club Owner Gets 16 Years In Prison

Jeffrey Castardi (48) has been sentenced to 16 years in prison, after been found guilty of violating Colorado’s Organized Crime Control Act, including running an illegal professional gambling and bookmaking business, loan-sharking, money laundering, tax evasion, theft and unlawful debt collection.

Castardi is believed to have Mafia connections and was often heard boasting that he had been a Gambino crime family bookie for most of his life. Together with his associates, Castardi operated a Denver based gambling club from July 2003 until April 2008, when it was shut down by the Denver Police Department. Millions of dollars was said to have passed through the club, with many gamblers falling into debt and forced to take out 40 percent interest loans from Castardi, leading to at least two suicides.

Man loses wife to fellow gambler in card game

A man in western Uttar Pradesh allegedly gave away his 32-year-old wife to a fellow gambler after he lost a card game, police said Wednesday. The incident came to light when the woman, a resident of Billauchpura village in Baghpat district, about 400 km from Lucknow, managed to escape from the house of the man to whom her husband lost the game, police added. “The woman, who approached us Tuesday, has alleged that her husband Raheesu had used her as a stake after he lost all his money in gambling,” a police official told reporters in Baghpat.

Joplin man pleads guilty to stealing from casino by counterfeiting chips

Southwest Missouri man has pleaded guilty in Oklahoma federal court to using counterfeit poker chips to steal thousands of dollars from an Indian casino in Northeast Oklahoma. “I had previously obtained legitimate 25-cent poker chips and used a special process to create counterfeit chips,” William Reece Lancaster, 49, of Joplin, admitted to authorities in his plea agreement. According to Woodward, Lancaster admitted stealing at least $27,236 from the casino.  Sentencing is set for March 9, after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Lancaster faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

A brief look at crime 12/7 – 12/13

Teen shot dead at gambling den, cousin wounded

A teenager was killed and his cousin wounded when gunmen opened fire with what is believed to be a semi-automatic weapon at an illegal gambling den at Mt St George, near Scarborough, at about midnight on Monday. Dead is 18-year-old Jude “Stooky” Alleyne, of Mt St George, who succumbed to his injuries shortly afterwards at the Scarborough Hospital.

Southport mum speaks after suicide of her successful banker son

THE shell-shocked mother of a high-flying banker who hung himself after being sucked into the dangerous world of gambling, debt and drugs has spoken out to say: “Don’t let this happen to your child”.  Tragic James Paget, 28, killed himself after racking up £60,000 worth of credit card bills and loan charges to fund a secret gambling habit and cocaine addiction that not even his girlfriend or family knew about.

Stunned mum Barbara, of Ainsdale, thought her intelligent son – a senior banking manager at Lloyds TSB – had long overcome a university addiction that saw him spend thousands on internet poker and powerful drugs.  But in his high-earning bank job, the former Ainsdale Hope and KGV student spiralled back into trouble after accessing loans and high-value credit cards with surprising ease.

Southern Mo. man who placed illegal gambling machines at businesses sentenced to probation

A southern Missouri man who placed illegal gambling machines at several businesses in the region has been sentenced to three years’ probation.  The U.S. Attorney’s office said 63-year-old Morris Guy Ramseur, of West Plains, must also pay the balance of a $200,000 forfeiture representing his proceeds from the operation. Ramseur was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court. He pleaded guilty in May to running the illegal operations from 1997 to January 2005. Prosecutors said Ramseur arranged with owners of convenience stores, bars and other businesses to let him install video slot poker machines and other devices. He then split the net proceeds with the business owners.

Five jailed in Shanxi for kidnapping teens

Five people, who are convicted of kidnapping and illegal gambling have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from two to eight years by a court in northern Shanxi Province. The verdict said Liu Jifeng, Ma Qingfeng and their complice lured or abducted teenagers to Myanmar, forcing them to gamble in casinos between July and October 2008. The kidnappers then held the young people, demanding ransoms of tens of thousands yuan from their family.

Duo pleads to embezzling $13M from Gretna company

A Louisiana woman and a Kentucky man have pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $13 million from a Gretna oil company. The U.S. attorney’s office in New Orleans says White and Kinney stole checks and money from John W. Stone Oil Distributor LLC. in Gretna between 1995 and 2007. Prosecutors say White reviewed payments at Stone Oil, a midstream and dock-fueling business, and Kinney was her sister’s boyfriend.  Authorities allege the stolen funds were used to pay personal expenses, gambling and to fund a racing company.

Problem Gambling Experts Say Sports Betting a Teen Crisis

An expert on problem gambling among youth says sports betting is an epidemic among high school students. Wagering on sports is seen as a gateway introduction for teens to other forms of gambling. “The average I find is a high school with a population of 1,000 has two [student-bookmakers],” Elman told NorthJersey.com. Elman says the sportsbook is often passed down from class to class as students work their way through the schools.

Elman says parents are often unaware of the gambling until children steal from them to pay betting debts. “They end up using the credit card, or they take something from the house and sell it,” the counselor advises. Police say they have neither the time nor resources to investigate without complaints, and that the schools are handling the problem. But Elman, who does not involve legal authorities to avoid scaring off teens in need of help, says that compulsive gambling unattended can wreck lives before parents are aware of the danger.

Sports betting magnate James Giordano goes to jail

Last Wednesday, a former bookmaker named James Giordano pleaded guilty to promoting gambling in New York. The 55-year-old Pinecrest resident was indicted in 2006 for running a sports betting website in the Caribbean that took millions of dollars in bets from dozens of U.S.-based bookies and gamblers.  It was all part of an epic battle over the legality of Internet gambling.

Giordano — who spoke at length for the first time about his life — began his gambling career at a New York-area grocery store, where he watched a produce manager take bets from employees and then hand off the cash to a small Italian fellow. He remembers taking the produce manager aside. “I told him: ‘You gather bets… it seems to me if you eliminate the phone call, you can keep the money.’”  Soon he began his own little bookmaking operation, first with the produce manager and later on his own.

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

Florida gambling compact is heading back to square one

Casino Watch Focus has reported numerous times on the situation in Florida regarding the state’s gambling compact with the Seminole Indians.  The Governor is allowed to negotiate a compact, but the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the compact must have Florida Senate and House approval – a decision they came to when Governor Crist exceeded his power and established a compact that expanded gambling by negotiating more state money in exchange for allowing Tribal Casinos to allow table games.

The Florida Senate and House then established guidelines the compact must follow, but the negotiations over the exact details of the compact have been heavily debated and the Seminole’s decision to keep allowing table games during the compact negotiations have been a serious point of controversy.

Now, an online source is pointing to a virtual collapse in negotiations, explaining that the compact is essentially back to square one as time is simply running out:

After months of tough legislative battles, followed by weeks of negotiation between Governor Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe, the deal to settle Florida’s gambling laws is about to be thrown back to the starting point. Influential state Representative Bill Galvano told the Sun-Sentinel that there would be no special legislative session to approve Crist’s agreement, and that a new gambling bill would probably come out of next year’s session.

Although Crist’s package follows generally the guidelines established in the legislature, mounting complaints by track casinos and poker rooms have led a backswell to second-guess the proposed compact.

“The members have raised issues beyond just the compact and the pari-mutuel side, and looked at issues as large as how do we deal with gambling in Florida as a whole,” Galvano told the Ft. Lauderdale paper. “We are a gaming state. And we have allowed ourselves, by piecemeal authorization, to get into a situation where our gaming is not the benefit it could be to the state of Florida yet it has the negative impacts.”

For more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION