World Cup betting via Rooms at Caesars; Chinese Triads.

Eight people from Malaysia, China and Hong Kong were accused Monday of operating a temporary, illegal gambling ring from exclusive high-roller villas at Caesar's that investigators said logged millions of dollars in bets on FIFA World Cup soccer games.

Wei Seng Phua and others were named in a criminal complaint detailing the scheme to take bets over WiFi and DSL lines they had casino employees install in their suites.

"SBOBET." was one illegal website taking bets.

U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said the Las Vegas operation began shortly after Phua left the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau, where he had been arrested June 18 and posted bail on similar allegations of illegal wagering on World Cup soccer games.

It seems casino techs turned them in, but the penalties they face are miniscule in relation to ''the handle".

"... Bogden said that if convicted, each could face up to two years in federal prison on an unlawful transmission count and up to five years in prison on an illegal gambling business count, as well as fines on each count of up to $250,000."


http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/accused-illegal-world-cup-betting-vegas-24559898

I read about this this morning.
I think its stupid to set up an illegal online sports book in a casino hotel.
Gee, wouldn't you think a casino would be thinking, wtf is going on in that suite.
Why not stay at a real nice hotel suite without a casino. A non casino hotel would be thrilled with the business and maybe not snoop.
Casino hotels are constantly snooping, regular hotels don't really snoop like a casino hotel.
Still may get caught but I think the chances are less in a non casino hotel

Quote: terapined

I read about this this morning.
I think its stupid to set up an illegal online sports book in a casino hotel.
Gee, wouldn't you think a casino would be thinking, wtf is going on in that suite.
Why not stay at a real nice hotel suite without a casino. A non casino hotel would be thrilled with the business and maybe not snoop.
Casino hotels are constantly snooping, regular hotels don't really snoop like a casino hotel.
Still may get caught but I think the chances are less in a non casino hotel

Best would be to rent rooms during a convention and say the data feeds were needed to demonstrate their product and have a hospitality suite.

high comedy. I think I will set up street craps across from the pit next time I'm in there...

Quote: sddude24

high comedy.

High money too. These were no flunkies. They have their own private jet with them and are being hosted by a poker big wig. I wonder if it was some layoff action or if they knew the results in advance and screwed the sportsbooks?

> I think I will set up street craps across from the pit next time I'm in there...
Subtle. At least you won't have all those techie cable installers. I bet they failed to grease palms of the cable installers.

My best guess is what every bookie fears : A sore loser or an angry wife. They put more bookies in jail than law enforcement.

Quote: Buzzard

My best guess is what every bookie fears : A sore loser or an angry wife. They put more bookies in jail than law enforcement.

LOL. I'm sure that is true, but in this particular case, Casino Security and the FBI were on to the scheme prior to there being any sore losers or angry wives because before the cables were all hooked up, the techies knew something was amiss and I bet these foreigners just didn't grease palms sufficiently.

Quote: FleaStiff

... but the penalties they face are miniscule in relation to ''the handle".

Really? It's up to $250,000 PER COUNT.

They could consider each individual bet as a 'count'...

The last time I heard about the Chinese Triad was in a Chuck Norris movie in the early 80's.

If you believe the strong rumors swirling around in recent weeks (I do) then Caesars Palace is about to get out of the sportsbook business by outsourcing it to either William Hill or Ladbroke's, depending on which version you want to go with. This would potentially be a prelude to turning over the sportsbooks at all the company's properties. It is a rumor, though it is a pretty strong rumor that I think is believed by much of the staff of the company.

Probably not related to this, since their interest in outsourcing their books (and pretty much anything else they can think of) predates this incident. There were similar rumors that they were about to farm all their books out to Cantor a few years ago, and I personally have some reason to think that was probably true. That is, until the exec running the local operations of Cantor Gaming at the time got busted by the Feds for... running a personal business taking illegal bets on the side. Ooops.

It is tough for me to picture how a pissed off wife or girlfriend could've potentially been related to busting a Chinese triad operation, but hey, waddoiknowabout the Chinese triads.

Quote: Boz

The last time I heard about the Chinese Triad was in a Chuck Norris movie in the early 80's.

New Jersey Gaming regulators and Mirage Resorts have sure heard about it a lot more recently, since issues of alleged triad connections involving partners in Macao resulted in revoking their license to continue their part ownership of Borgata:

NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement Report
Related LVRJ article defending MGM-Mirage & NV Gaming Control Board

Here is one brief public report of one version of that recent Caesars outsourcing rumor:

http://edgevegas.com/rumor-william-hill-to-operate-caesars-palace-sportsbook/

That fellow says Bill Hill. But if they were to hang a line on it which was open to wagering only by the people working there and running the joint, I think current odds on the board would probably look something like:

Ladbroke's -130

Wm. Hill +115

LAS VEGAS ILLEGAL WAGERING: A STATEMENT FROM SBOBET.

Global online sportsbook SBOBET wishes to make it clear that recent press reports linking its name to a Wei Seng Phua (or Phua Wei Seng) who was arrested in the US for illegal online sports betting on the 2014 FIFA World Cup conducted out of a Las Vegas casino base are entirely without foundation.

Neither the accused nor those arrested with him have any involvement or association with the ownership or management of SBOBET, or with its operators, Celton Manx Limited and Richwell Ventures Limited.

Additionally SBOBET wishes to clarify that the US is one of more than 30 jurisdictions worldwide from which it does not accept bets from and that any alledged wagers placed via SBOBET.com by the accused could only have been made illegally, as press reports confirm.

For more information contact:
William D Mummery
Executive Director
Celton Manx Limited
billmummery@celtonmanx.com

Tel : +44 1624 721968
Mob : +44 7624 494113

Got it from the source from:
Las Vegas Illegal Wagering: A Statement From SBOBET

Does anyone remember the 18 months that this forum was inundated with hundreds of links to Sbobet? Some have been removed but many are still here for anyone to see.

Quote:

A federal judge in Las Vegas has ruled that FBI agents went too far when they shut off Internet service to a Las Vegas hotel room last summer, then posed as repairmen so they could get a peek into the room without a search warrant.

FBI agents cut off Internet service to the room at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas where world champion poker player, Paul Phua, 50, was staying last July, and then claimed to be the repairmen summoned to fix it.

The FBI had received a tip that Phua and others in his entourage were illegally taking bets on the World Cup. The agents wore hidden cameras inside the room and said the footage proved those inside were making illegal bets.

On Friday federal Judge Andrew Gordon said the scheme violated Phua's right against unreasonable searches.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-fbis-ruse-catch-poker-champ-vegas-hotel-room-went-n343721