WagerFree Criminal Proceedings

[Bill Dozer]

After a slight delay, it appears there is a plan in place to pursue criminal and civil charges against Garet Bradford and Wagerfree. Each player must individually call the Nevada Attorney General at 1-775-684-1100 and file a report with the fraudulent claims department.

Once these charges are filed, SBR will retain legal services of a Nevada licensed attorney with the intention of filing a class action civil suit. Legal fees will be paid for by SBR. Wagerfree victims will not be required to invest any of their own funds.

Many WagerFree victims have asked for the ability to speak to each other. The Email list has not been an overwhelming success and was not as private as some would have liked. A posting thread may do a better job helping players to communicate.

You are welcome to use the private messaging feature as well. No one will be asked to submit personal information within this thread.

If nothing else, this thread will be updated with the progress of dismantling Wagerfree.com.

Nevada Attorney General at 1-775-684-1100

[jjgold]

Have no clue what this means

[TOW]

JJ, Wagerfree is a scam book operating out of Nevada.

[Bill Dozer]

Have no clue what this means

well...the important thing is your'e here.

[jjgold]

Thanks

I concentrate on the top 25 books only

[Illusion]

Once these charges are filed, SBR will retain legal services of a Nevada licensed attorney with the intention of filing a class action civil suit. Legal fees will be paid for by SBR. Wagerfree victims will not be required to invest any of their own funds.

This is why SBR will soon be the number one forum in the industry.

[low_vig]

Thanks, Bill. It will be good to clean up our industry from "bad guys" like that Garet Bradford and his scam website Wagerfree...

* Any idea how long it will take to file a report with the NV atty general?

* Is there a form that we can get hold of beforehand?

* I'd be happy to be in touch with the WSJ writer and talk about my experiences; being slow paid; lied to; ignored; etc. Overall, a very bad experience...

* Was any GOOD INFO exchanged with the email list?

* Are there any drawbacks to this forum if Garet Bradford visits this forum??

Many thanks; it will be good to rid the industry of this kind of behavior!

- Low Vig

[jjgold]

Very impressive stuff here

[SBR_John]

This was just flauting the law. I mean the guy can't just be an illegal bookie,which is bad enough, he has to be a scamming illegal bookie. Hopefully he has hit his last mark.

[Mudcat]

My favorite Wagerfree episode is when Bengalfan at Covers started bashing Wagerfree some months after the start-up because he was a paid shill but he claimed they were renegging on his shill deal.

[Bill Dozer]

Hello Low Vig,

I am glad to see you and the other players are still eager to see WagerFree shut down.

* Any idea how long it will take to file a report with the NV atty general?

We can not forecast how long this will take. This is new territory for us all. Hopefully we can get updated from Nevada soon.

* Is there a form that we can get hold of beforehand?

That is a great question. I suggested players call so that I would not have to collect private home addresses. Now, if they had an online form, that would be ideal.

* I'd be happy to be in touch with the WSJ writer and talk about my experiences; being slow paid; lied to; ignored; etc. Overall, a very bad experience...

Great! This may help us get the attention of those who can take WagerFree offline for good. The WSJ is eager to expose this crook. You can reach David at David.Kesmodel@wsj.com.

Was any GOOD INFO exchanged with the email list?

Players were advised to put this on file with their local police. At this time, we don't know if any of the state troopers forwarded the claims on to Nevada.

* Are there any drawbacks to this forum if Garet Bradford visits this forum??

He was threatened by players over a year ago and must know this is coming. Unless authorities ask us to keep specific information private, keeping a log and a place to compare notes is a good thing.

Many thanks; it will be good to rid the industry of this kind of behavior!

It sure will. Most thief bookies are smart enough to commit their crimes out of arm's reach. WagerFree is mocking the industry and authorities by running this site on US soil.

[low_vig]

Advice, direction & outcome??

Thanks for replying, Bill.

I will contact the WSJ writer; I'm still hesitant about calling the NV
authorities/atty genl for safety/privacy reasons -- as well as the
odds of actually re-couping any significant $$. (I am owed
thousands).

For others: Please share info that might give some of us who
are on the "fence" -- direction and advice.

Thanks,
low vig

[pags11]

new to forum

Hello gentlemen,

I spoke with Bill at great length today regarding wagerfree.com and it's operator, Garet Bradford. I am a poster on many other forums such as covers.com, therx.com, burythebook.com and wagerline.com. I also live in Reno, NV and have played with wagerfree. Like everyone else I am having an extremely difficult time getting paid out. At my house I have information that I have gathered about Garet and his whereabouts that I will post later this evening. I suggest we all stay in touch to shut this complete scam down. Thanks.

pags11

[Bill Dozer]

Thanks Pags! I think this will help quite a bit.

I will be speaking with the Nevada Attorney General's office on Monday about the Point-of-Sale which was in a Reno autobody garage. There seems to be some confusion about what jurisdiction this falls under and I hope to clear that up.

The AG has sent this:

Gaming matters such as this should be directed to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and a criminal complaint for theft should be filed with the county sheriff where Mr. Bradford resides. Therein lies the rub. Mr. Bradford has claimed a number of addresses located in different counties in Nevada. The following is the list of possible addresses and the name of the county for your reference:

35 Rayo Del Sol Ct, Sparks NV 89436 * Washoe County, Nevada
3311 Sandra Dr Reno NV 89503 * Washoe County, Nevada
205 Summerset, Verdi CA 89439 (Old Sec of State Report Address) * Washoe County PO Box 1155, Fernley, NV 89408 - Lyon County, Nevada (Address for J&K Fitness dba Beyond Fitness
9703 Margarita RD(PO Box 284); On The Oregon Side, McDermitt, NV 89421 * (Old Nev Sec of State Report Address) Humboldt County, Nevada/Malheur County, Oregon
1 Nomar Ave. Jackpot, OR 97310 (Internet Domain Address * Does not Exist) Closest idea is that it is just across the state line from McDermitt - Malheur County, Oregon Fallon, Nevada (referenced somewhere related to J&K Fitness) * Churchill County, Nevada

However, with the help of Pags and the players who have sent the credit card docs and bounced checks, we should be able to show proof of residency and point-of-sale. I expect to see criminal charges filed early next week.

[pags11]

Bill,

Good talking with you earlier today. So here's what I've got so far. I believe Garet resided in, and still resides at a loft area above Martin's Auto Service in Reno, Nevada. The exact address is 2150 Mill St. I have two contact phone numbers, although I believe the first one is the correct one: (775) 954.2027, and (775) 786.3207

The P.O. Box I have for him is: P.O. Box 12704/ Reno, NV 89510 which I believe is at the downtown post office by where he lives. I also know that he works out at 24 Hour Fitness in Reno, Nevada (contact phone number: (775) 827-4273. I am wondering what they would think of some member of their gym that is participating in an illegal scam. His email address is: wagerfree@yahoo.com, although good luck getting him to return a call. His cell phone number is: 775.771.4857.

Bob D is another person that can be contacted. He originally had Garet on his radio show until they got complaints about the no-pays. I believe the correct address and phone number for him are the following:

The Buzz 1270 AM/ Reno, NV 89501/ Office: (775) 825.7529 If that physical address doesn't work, try 1664 N. Virginia St./ Reno, NV 89510

I also believe that the "silent partner" in this deal, Anthony Barozzi, does not have a whole lot to do with this site anymore. Whether it be because he couldn't back it financially (I mean the guy was a high school baskeball coach here in town, he doesn't have that kind of coin), or he just saw it going down the tube I don't know. I do have an address for him, but I don't know if it's current:

7120 Park Valley Ct./ Reno, NV 89523

My biggest concern is Garet's blatant disregard for not only the law, but towards players. He just blows people off after he stiffs them and expects them to go away. Not so with me my friends. Bill, we'll talk more on Monday. Stay in touch.

[pags11]

August 19, 2005 E-COMMERCE/MEDIA Wagering Site Takes a GambleOn Operating From the U.S. By DAVID KESMODELTHE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINEAugust 19, 2005 WagerFree.com promotes itself as a "safe, easy and legal" Web site thathelps gamblers place bets on a wide range of sporting events. Gamblinghas become big business on the Internet, and new sites crop up all thetime. What's notable about this site, however, is that it isn'toperating from Antigua, Costa Rica or one of the other offshore havenspopular with online casinos. WagerFree.com is based in Reno, Nev. The site (www.wagerfree.com) is owned by Garet Bradford, a 36-year-oldformer personal trainer who said he has customers throughout the U.S.Mr. Bradford said the site is legal because he's not a bookmaker - aperson who accepts and pays off bets in exchange for a commission.WagerFree.com doesn't have a gambling license. None of Nevada's 175licensed sports books is authorized to accept bets over the Internet. Mr. Bradford said he is simply offering a matchmaking service forbettors. He said he matches up people who want to bet on sportingevents, in exchange for a $10 monthly "club" fee. He said this exemptshim from gambling regulations, and is advantageous for gamblers becausethey don't have to pay "juice," or commissions of about 10% of the wagerthat are charged by bookmakers in Las Vegas casinos and elsewhere. But WagerFree.com's luck may be turning. Several gamblers havecomplained they are owed money from WagerFree.com for winnings thathaven't been paid. And some legal analysts question Mr. Bradford'scontention that WagerFree.com isn't a gambling operation. A 'Sports Club' Though there is no specific federal law addressing Internet wagers, theJustice Department contends three federal antigambling laws make theactivity illegal, including the 1961 Wire Act, which forbidstransmitting bets on "any sporting event or contest" over state lines. Ahandful of states, including Oregon, Louisiana and South Dakota, alsoforbid certain aspects of Internet gambling, while others have broadlaws against gambling that may apply to the Web. A Justice Departmentspokeswoman declined to comment on WagerFree.com. Mr. Bradford said in an interview that his site is legal, and should notbe considered as similar to an offshore casino. "I am not a gamblingsite," he said. "I'm a sports club. I'm not receiving any funds fromgaming ... I'm not going to [run the site] unless it is legal." Mr. Bradford said he consulted a lawyer before starting WagerFree.com.He registered WagerFree.com LLC in Oregon in late 2002, and his Web sitesays it is incorporated there. But the business license became inactivein January because renewal fees weren't paid. Online Complaints Complaints about WagerFree.com began surfacing on the Internet lastyear. SportsbookReview, a Web site that rates Internet sports books andpurports to warn bettors about sites that don't properly pay winnings,has collected reports from bettors who say they weren't paid by thesite. Ed Hunt, an occasional sports bettor in Texas, said he was drawn toWagerFree.com because of its pledges of "juice-free" wagering. At atraditional sports book, a person wanting to bet $100 on the outcome of,say, a football game would also have to put up juice, also known asvigorish, of 10%. So, if the bettor lost, he would lose $110. If he won,he would get back his $110, and win $100. Mr. Hunt said he is owed $1,000 by WagerFree.com. About $600 is forwinnings on the site, he said, and $400 is from a deposit he made to hisaccount. Mr. Hunt, who bet on football, baseball and other sports, saidhe requested the $1,000 from Mr. Bradford last November. He said heeventually received a check, in late February or early March of thisyear, and it was dated for April. A handwritten note sent with the checksaid, "Your checks have been post-dated for April 6. We are underreorganization. Thanks for your patience." But when he went to a bank tocash it, he was told WagerFree.com had stopped payment. He has tried toget Mr. Bradford to send him a new check, but said Mr. Bradford nolonger responds to his calls. Two other WagerFree.com customers contacted by the Online Journal alsosaid they were owed money by the site. In an initial interview about WagerFree.com, Mr. Bradford said allbettors had been paid the money they were owed. Later, after he wasasked to comment on specific complaints from bettors, he said in anemail that anyone who is owed money "fairly" will "be paid in full orset up on a payment plan." He didn't respond to further requests forcomment. Mr. Bradford first attracted customers to his site by promoting it on aReno sports radio show on an AM station, KPLY, where he appeared as aguest commentator. Daniel Cook, a general manager for AmericomBroadcasting, the owner of the station, said it got "some complaints"about Mr. Bradford, and "he was not invited back." Jerry Markling, chief of enforcement for the Nevada Gaming ControlBoard, said regulators are aware of WagerFree.com and have begun aninquiry into its operations, but declined to comment further. Matching Bettors WagerFree.com maintains a list of scheduled professional and collegesporting events that members can bet on. Wagers can be placed online, orover the phone; a toll-free number on the site rings on Mr. Bradford'scellphone. Mr. Bradford said members tell WagerFree.com which games theywant to bet on, and a computer matches them up. The site says itcollects money from bettors, and then WagerFree.com pays the winnersafter the sporting events are over. Mr. Bradford declined to say how many members WagerFree.com has, or howmuch revenue the site generates. "We're in all states, and I know wehave had Canadian clients also," Mr. Bradford said. He said he hasbetween five and 10 employees working with him, depending on the season. Revenue from Internet gambling totaled $7.5 billion world-wide lastyear, including $3.1 billion from sports wagers, according to researchfirm Christiansen Capital Advisors. "For me, it's not really about themoney," said Mr. Bradford. "It's about revolutionizing the way peoplecan wager on sports." Mr. Bradford said WagerFree.com doesn't need a gambling license becausethe site is only a club, and isn't acting as a bookmaker. But I. NelsonRose, a law professor at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, Calif., saidregulators and others might not see it that way. He said most stateantibookmaking statutes are written broadly so as to ban people fromfacilitating sports betting by others, even if they don't technicallyact as bookmakers. California law, for example, makes it illegal for aperson to record or register a bet, "and he is clearly recording thebets," Mr. Rose said. WagerFree.com's Web site says it "keeps track ofall wagers by computer." Anthony Cabot, a Las Vegas gaming lawyer, declined to comment onWagerFree.com specifically, but said sites like it raise a number ofconcerns under federal law. Although the operators of such sites mayargue they are not "actually booking bets," he said, "my personalopinion is if you're in the business of matching sports wagers, you arein the business of betting or wagering." That, he said, could beinterpreted as violating the Wire Act. Legal analysts said U.S. bettors who feel they were wronged by an onlinegambling site often have little recourse, since they may have violatedthe law by using the sites in the first place. But it is rare forauthorities to try to prosecute individual bettors. Instead, the federalgovernment has tried at times to crack down on the industry. In thesummer of 2003, the Justice Department sent letters to U.S. mediacompanies warning them they might be prosecuted for running ads byonline casinos, because they would be "aiding and abetting" an illegalactivity. In 2000, the Justice Department won a case under the Wire Actagainst Jay Cohen, a U.S. citizen who was running a sports bettingoperation called the World Sports Exchange from Antigua. A juryconvicted him in federal court in New York. Mr. Cohen served 18 monthsof a 21-month prison sentence and paid a $5,000 fine. Write to By David Kesmodel at david.kesmodel@wsj.com ===============================David KesmodelTechnology ReporterThe Wall Street Journal Onlinew: (212) 416-4134c: (551) 358-6996e: david.kesmodel@wsj.com===============================

[pags11]

any update on this?...

[Bill Dozer]

Pags,

I spent most of the morning talking with the different agencies and I think, after a few dead ends, we finally have made some progress.

The Nevada Gaming Board is investigating Wagerfree. Special Agent O'connel is our current contact for this case but a new agent will soon be devoted to Wagerfree. Players who wish to contribute to the current report may call 1-975-823-7250. SBR will also be supplying the gaming board with information. The good news is that this division of the state police will likely have the ability to take the swiftest action against this scammer, hopefully taking him offline. The bad news is that they will not be able to recover assets.

To file criminal and fraud charges, players will need to report to their local sheriff’s office or state police department. The case files will then be sent to Reno Internet Crime division. Each player should provide whatever evidence they have to be included in the case. Exchanging case numbers may be helpful as well. Then, once these cases are filed we can proceed with a civil class action suit.

I realize that this is not a simple process as there are many fine lines and different ways for the law to look at this, hence initially calling the AG. The important thing to show the officer is that you did not buy goods that were not delivered. You added funds to a non FDIC account (like paypal) that was in your name and these funds were stolen.

I have talked to a few players this morning who are determined to follow through with whatever it takes and I am hopeful that the others will remain just as determined.

All players can feel free to contact me anytime at 830-515-4122.

[pags11]

Bill, thanks so much for this information. I'll be on it tommorrow.

[Bill Dozer]

Pags,

I received a positive call later in the day. We are going to take this back to email for the time being. I'll give you a call on Monday at the latest.

[pags11]

Hey guys, just wanted to update you on a couple of things. The area code for the Nevada Gaming Control board is 775 not 975. So the correct number should read 775.823.7250. Also, I understand that for the time being Karl Dennison is in charge of handling the wagerfree investigation and no longer Agent O'Connel (Mr. Dennison is Agent O'Connel's supervisor). Thanks and we'll be in touch Bill and everyone.

[pags11]

Things are going as planned...We should hear more this week...

[pags11]

Have noticed that Garet does not have any lines up on wagefree...whether it's because he fled for another country or that he's been arrested I don't know...but at least he's not running his deposit only sportsbook...

[pags11]

any update on this?...

[Illusion]

SBR Bill Dozer reports: Reno, Nevada-based WagerFree(SBR rating F-) scam to cease operating? Garet Bradford, the subject of an investigation by the Nevada Gaming Commission, tells players he will be closing his operation on December 7th if he does not receive funds from "investors". Garet claims his "business" will file bankruptcy, which will protect him from his debt to victims. However, WagerFree, L.L.C.’s business license was revoked on 12/1/2004. Players and SBR have contributed to the investigation against Mr. Bradford, which is likely responsible for WagerFree’s forecasted closure. One local player who has visited state authorities, reports receiving a partial refund of his balance.

Note: SBR does not condone personal threats when settling fraudulent business complaints. Players with a complaint should contact their local authorities as well as the Nevada Gaming Control Board at (775) 823-7250.

[Illusion]

SBR Bill Dozer reports: Largest US-based online sportsbook scam, WagerFree(SBR rating F-), finally off-line. Nevada authorities have been investigating owner, Mr. Garet Bradford for fraudulent business practices and operating a gaming establishment without a license. Mr. Bradford’s elaborate con was able to survive for two years with the help of his lawyers who challenged authorities to prove that he was anything more than a Nevada-based hosting company for a peer-to-peer betting "club". It is unclear at this time if charges have been filed by the state or if Garet succumbed to the pressure of the investigation and angry victims. If and when charges have been filed, SBR will support victims who choose to proceed with a class action lawsuit.

[low_vig]

Great to see that guy OFFLINE!!! Happy New Year!

[pags11]

bump...

[pags11]

have received several phone calls from Agent Jim Carlisle from the Nevada Gaming commission...they are looking to arrest Garet...

[pags11]

Bill, emailed you back...area code here is 775...

[bigboydan]

01.27.2006 (05:10 PM CST)
SBR Bill Dozer reports: Arrest warrant issued for WagerFree(SBR rating F-) thief, Garet Bradford. Players eagerly await opportunity to initiate civil case which will be supported by charges brought by the state of Nevada.

[Illusion]

Great news indeed.

[pags11]

Garet has requested that anyone owed money by wagerfree email him at: wagerfree@yahoo.com with their username and ammount owed...

[pags11]

received a $400 payment from Garet today...$6200 of the $7200 owed has been recovered, with $1000 more to go...am scheduled for another $500 payment at the beginning of the March...

[outforthedrive]

I hope I can start getting my 9K owed to me