Online Sports Betting Case Ends In Guilty Plea In Kansas City

Federal authorities may have a grey area when it comes to online casino gambling, but no such area exists when dealing with online sports betting. That is why four men were arrested back in March and charged with crimes relating to the operation they were running.

On Tuesday, one of the men, James L. Dicapo, pleaded guilty to the charges having to deal with his role in the operation. Dicapo admitted to dealing with customers that bet over a million dollars between 2006 and 2009. This was the second guilty plea of the week for Dicapo.

During the nineties, many street bookmakers around the US decided to take their operations offshore. Costa Rica was the spot that Dicapo and his co-defendants set up shop. Customers would then be given toll free numbers or Internet sites where they could place their bets.

Once the wagers were complete, the payouts would take place in the US. The exchange of money for illegal sports betting is a crime that the government has been prosecuting for years. Dicapo, 57, was part of an operation that in total handled over $3.5 million in bets in a three year period.

"Sports betting is illegal in all states outside of Nevada and Delaware, and authorities spend their falls building cases against local bookmakers during the NFL season," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "Then, when they have enough evidence, they usually bust these illegal operations right around the Super Bowl, when the most money is exchanging hands."

By not taking the best over the phone like it was done by old time bookies, the new bookmakers thought they would escape prosecution. Without the phone records, it became increasingly difficult for authorities to get charges to stick. Recently, however, the authorities have started using undercover officers to infiltrate the illegal operations.

July 29, 2010
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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