10 Arrested In Connection With Illegal Sports Betting

[johnny1212]

District Attorney: Organizations Grossed More Than $45 Million Annually

NEW YORK -- Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced Sunday the arrest of 10 people in connection with running illegal gambling operations that took in more than $45 million annually on sports bets, including $300,000 on March Madness, the NCAA college basketball tournament.

Hynes was joined by the heads of New York State's five off-track betting agencies in a call for legalized sports gambling.

"Money gambled illegally on sporting events is the funding that fuels the business of organized crime," Hynes said. "If sports betting were legal, that money could go toward funding education, health care and fighting terrorism, instead of being used to fund murders and extortion, as it is now."

Investigators said they learned of the gambling operations from confidential informants who told them how they could place sports bets over the phone. Informants told investigators bets could be placed from 6 to 8 p.m. on nights when the games were played.

Once investigators discovered the addresses of the otherwise empty apartments where the phones were answered, they obtained warrants to search the locations.

Computers and records of the betting operations were seized, as well as $300,000 in cash, investigators said.

The investigation continued Sunday, and more arrests were expected, investigators said