NYPD Busts $3.3 Billion Gambling Ring That Used Website to Track Bets

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2006 - 2:18pm.

New York - The New York Police Department has arrested more than two dozen people and shut down a $3.3 billion illegal gambling operation that let bettors track their wagers and monitor point spreads on a secured website, the Associated Press reported.

According to police, the head of the operation was 52-year-old pro poker player James Giordano, who won a $100,000 tournament in Las Vegas earlier this year; also arrested was 52-year-old Frank Falzarano, a current scout for the Washington Nationals.

The sports gambling ring reportedly took bets through bookies, but then provided bettors with access to a secure website, Playwithal.com, where they could track their wagers. Three companies were also charged in connection with helping Giordano create the website.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the operation took in more than $3.3 billion in cash wagers since 2004, and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said that prosecutors will seek the forfeiture of $500 million in assets.

Related Links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061116/ap_on_hi_te/internet_gambling_arrests
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd
http://www.playwithal.com