1. #1
    trixtrix
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    Is there any truth to this article regarding betonline in legal trouble?

    jesus i have 10k there and 24k rollover to complete before i can withdraw..

    "
    District Attorney Brown said that, according to a 131-count indictment filed in Queens
    County Supreme Court the gambling ring promoted illegal sports betting in Queens County and
    elsewhere and that the top two defendants – alleged bookmakers Joseph J. Fafone and Eric Davis
    Harp – used various Internet websites, including BetAllSportshere.com, justwagers.com, betmsg.com,
    betonline.com, and betrr.com, as well as toll-free telephone numbers to accept wagers. The
    defendants also allegedly controlled a non-traditional “wire room” in the form of an off-shore,"


    http://www.gamblingiq.com/thirty-ind...ong-operation/

  2. #2
    patswin
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    according to gambing911 they were part of the idictment

  3. #3
    SBR_John
    Wisky
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    Looks like the State of New York has taken down their credit operation. Not sure how this will affect the operation in Panama. Most credit related pinch's do not affect the post up operation. I know the SBR team is digging around and will have some news on this soon.

  4. #4
    JoshW
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    Interesting that DA claim they have confiscated three million. Likely is just all the personal bank accounts of all those indicted.

    Having read the full press release, the only thing that makes it look like this is BetOnline principle ownership is the headline by 911. Nothing in the actual press release points to that.
    Last edited by JoshW; 10-21-09 at 08:39 PM.

  5. #5
    InThisMoment
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    Yes.

  6. #6
    gambleballs
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    Sounds bad. I have multiple accounts with the sites listed.. all the logins still work. Luckily, not much was post up.

  7. #7
    trixtrix
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    the actual time-value premium of the rollover is never more clear than in circumstances like this..

    anyone know what the early withdraw penalty is for betonline?

  8. #8
    katstale
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    Wow, hard to believe a stand-up company like BOL would be involved with the kind of people who extort, etc.

    John, I would cash that check quick.

  9. #9
    beach nut
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    Pretty scary stuff for Betonline customers. I understand many of the agents arrested lived here in the states, but why would any key employees risk traveling between Panama and the states after everything that happened with BetOnsports?

  10. #10
    clarkd32
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    I noticed BetOnline got downgraded from A- to B-.. is that only because of the article yesterday or because customers are experiencing issues?

  11. #11
    joe361
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    Quote Originally Posted by clarkd32 View Post
    I noticed BetOnline got downgraded from A- to B-.. is that only because of the article yesterday or because customers are experiencing issues?
    Yes.

  12. #12
    patswin
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    hopefully this won't affect postups

  13. #13
    Don99
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    I have about $10,000 with them.

    I requested a $2000 payout a few days ago so I will keep you updated on how that goes.

  14. #14
    Dark Horse
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    Copied and pasted. No idea how much of this is true.

    If this background is true, with regards to the people behind this book, I would have to wonder why SBR didn't offer that information when this book received its high rating. Grand Central Sports?!?

    Online Gambling Bust Involving Betonline and Mob Connections

    written October 22, 2009 by Kenneth Weitzner

    Online Gambling Bust Involving Betonline and Mob Connections

    Back in 2007, I had the following to say about the genealogy of a new sports book the emerged, namely Betonline.

    1-Peter Jacobi of Grand Central Sports- left 2001 and disappeared...

    2-For those who weren't around then, Grand Central Sports was primarily famous for their telemarketing scams and screwing Lou Diamond and his video equipment...

    3-Peter Jacobi's partner, Mike Nichols, who also owned BeverlyHillsbookie and Mybookie.com, founded NINE.com in 2003 and made a fortune by selling it at the right time to VIP's -Alistair-...

    4-In 20004, Peter reappears as a partner of BetOnline, calling himself "Gary."

    5-In early 2006, Bestline gets sold by John Magnum to Charles Bauer, aka Eddie and Bama...

    6-In late 2006 or early 2007, BetOnline gets bought out by Charles Bauer (previously from Infinity-part of BETONSPORTS), who goes by the name of "Eddie" and "Bama" at present...

    7-Dalton Wagner (also affiliated with Kaplan and BOS) becomes very involved with BetOnline and sells BetonSports's equipment, customer lists, and anything else from BOS that he can get paid for by the new partners of BetOnline..

    If you liked BetonSports, then BetOnline is the sports book for all your future needs now that BOS has closed down...

    They even have very similar names to make everyone feel at home...(beton....,beton...)

    Moving forward to the present, this is what just went down in New York...

    THIRTY INDIVIDUALS INDICTED IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR OFF-SHORE SPORTS BETTING OPERATION

    Charged With Enterprise Corruption, Promoting Gambling and Money Laundering
    Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, joined by New York City Police Commissioner
    Raymond W. Kelly and Patricia J. Haynes, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office
    of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), today announced the indictment of 30 individuals and one
    corporation on charges of unlawfully operating a sports betting enterprise that stretched from Queens
    County to Nevada and from Rochester to Florida. It is estimated that the ring took in more than $567
    million over a 28-month period by accepting wagers on a wide variety of sporting events Ă˘â‚¬â€œ ranging
    from professional football, basketball, hockey and baseball to college basketball, among others.
    District Attorney Brown said, “The defendants are accused of operating an incredibly
    lucrative gambling operation Ă˘â‚¬â€œ taking in more than $20 million a month, on average. Such
    unlawfully earned profits are often Ă˘â‚¬â€œ and easily Ă˘â‚¬â€œ diverted to more insidious criminal enterprises. In
    fact, the investigation uncovered evidence that the enterprise had links to both the Gambino and
    Genovese crime families.â€

    The District Attorney continued, “Illegal gambling is not a victimless crime. Those who
    participate in these criminal enterprises often use threats, intimidation and even physical force to
    collect debts and oftentimes charge usurious interest rates on outstanding debts. In addition to our
    NYPD and IRS partners, I want to thank our federal law enforcement colleagues and police
    authorities in other states for their cooperation and efforts in this investigation. So massive was the
    enterprise that only with their assistance could we bring these defendants to justice.â€
    Commissioner Kelly said, “Gambling proceeds is the fuel that drives organized crime. The
    staggering amount of money in this case demonstrates just that. In this instance, however, the
    bookies ran out of luck.â€

    IRS Special Agent-in-Charge Haynes said, “Illegal gambling is a complex financial crime.
    Violators often use computers as tools to conduct financial transactions to launder money. Our
    agents use their unique financial and forensic computer skills to trace the flow of the money and
    unravel these financial transactions.â€

    One of the ring’s alleged bookmakers Ă˘â‚¬â€œ Joseph J. Fafone Ă˘â‚¬â€œ was arrested yesterday at the
    airport in Rochester New York, where he was waiting to board a flight to Panama. He was carrying
    nearly $24,000 in cash on his person. Of the other ring members, seventeen were arrested locally
    today and are awaiting arraignment in Queens Supreme Court. Nine other individuals were arrested
    in upstate New York, Florida, Nevada and Illinois. Three others Ă˘â‚¬â€œ including two in Panama Ă˘â‚¬â€œ are
    presently being sought and search warrants are being executed across the country to track down
    assets connected to the ring. Presently, more than $3 million in cash has been seized. The arrests
    stem from a 38-month investigation known as “Operation Betting It All.â€

    The defendants are charged with enterprise corruption Ă˘â‚¬â€œ a violation of New York State’s
    Organized Crime Control Act Ă˘â‚¬â€œ as well as money laundering, promoting gambling and conspiracy.
    If convicted, the individual defendants each face up to 25 years in prison. The corporate defendant
    faces a fine of up to $10,000 or double the amount of the illegal gain.

    In addition to the criminal charges, twenty of the defendants are being sued civilly and have
    been named as respondents in a $125 million civil forfeiture action filed in Queens Supreme Court
    by the District Attorney’s Special Proceedings Bureau which alleges that they engaged in a criminal
    enterprise that promoted illegal gambling activities and generated illegal wages.

    District Attorney Brown said that, according to a 131-count indictment filed in Queens
    County Supreme Court the gambling ring promoted illegal sports betting in Queens County and
    elsewhere and that the top two defendants Ă˘â‚¬â€œ alleged bookmakers Joseph J. Fafone and Eric Davis
    Harp Ă˘â‚¬â€œ used various Internet websites, including betallsportshere.com, justwagers.com, betmsg.com,
    betonline.com, and betrr.com, as well as toll-free telephone numbers to accept wagers. The
    defendants also allegedly controlled a non-traditional “wire room†in the form of an off-shore,
    Internet gambling service used by bettors and runners to actually place their wagers. It is alleged that
    the ring used the off-shore wire room Ă˘â‚¬â€œ located in Panama Ă˘â‚¬â€œ to maintain the gambling accounts of
    numerous runners and bettors through the Internet websites in an effort to evade law enforcement
    detection through traditional methods.

    Law enforcement crackdowns on traditional mob-run wire rooms have led to the use by
    illegal gambling rings of off-shore gambling websites where action is available around the clock.
    Bettors can click on an off-shore gambling website over the Internet and be assigned individual login
    codes and passwords. Their wagers and win-loss amounts are recorded in “sub-accountsâ€
    maintained in the accounts of “runners†and “agents.†These gambling websites typically store their
    information on computer servers located outside the United States Ă˘â‚¬â€œ such as in Panama Ă˘â‚¬â€œ and
    “bounce†their data through a series of server nodes in an effort to evade law enforcement.
    In addition to Fafone and Harp Ă˘â‚¬â€œ who allegedly were the bookmakers of the enterprise who
    controlled and oversaw the entire operation Ă˘â‚¬â€œ the indictment charges that nine other defendants Ă˘â‚¬â€œ
    Joseph Fafone, Sr., Thomas Farley, Gail Harris, Edward P. Kenny, Lester Klein, Louis P. Lippa,
    Amanda Mercer, Robert Rasmussen and David Valerio Ă˘â‚¬â€œ worked as “money collectors†and
    “distributors†and were responsible for exchanging, distributing, delivering and transferring
    gambling proceeds between members of the organization, including to and from agents/runners.
    Some of the collectors were also allegedly involved in exchanging, distributing, delivering and
    transferring gambling proceeds through various financial institutions.

    Four other defendants Ă˘â‚¬â€œ Jerry Dicresce, Edward LaRocco, David Strickland and Robert
    Wehnert Ă˘â‚¬â€œ are alleged to have been “master agents†with several subordinate agents/runners
    reporting directly to them.

    The indictment additionally charges that thirteen of the defendants worked as
    “agents/runnersâ€ Ă˘â‚¬â€œ Robert Aglialoro, Andrew Berg, John Bowling, Louis Cassero, Joseph
    Catalanotto, Philip Cesario, David Goldman, Jonathan Piansky, Joseph Pontarelli, Matthew
    Schmalacker, Louis Todisco, Michael Rizzi and Robert Stampf Ă˘â‚¬â€œ and were responsible for soliciting
    new bettors to the organization, maintaining existing bettor relationships and meeting with bettors
    to collect gambling losses and payout winnings.

    While bookmakers Fafone and Harp allegedly visited the Panama wire room on occasion,
    it is alleged that two other defendants in the ring Ă˘â‚¬â€œ Andre Lepiz and Mike SheridanĂ˘â‚¬â€œ were in charge
    of the day-to-day running of the room and allegedly acted as intermediaries with others involved in
    the operation.

    The corporation, JJF Consulting Services, Inc., is allegedly owned by Joseph J. Fafone and
    operated out of his personal residence. The corporation was allegedly a shell corporation that was
    used as a “money launder†to funnel and obscure the illegal gambling proceeds.
    District Attorney Brown said that the investigation leading to today’s indictment began in
    September 2006 when detectives from the NYPD’s Organized Crime Investigation Division
    developed information about an illegal sports betting operation and began a joint investigation with
    the District Attorney’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau. The investigation included physical
    surveillance, intelligence information, use of an undercover officer and court-authorized electronic
    eavesdropping.

    According to the indictment, between September 2006 and January 2009, the defendants
    conspired to make money illegally through the operation of an unlawful gambling enterprise that
    accepted bets on sporting events ranging from as little as $5 to as much as $20,000 on a single game.
    According to the indictment, after a bettor placed a bet either through the website or through
    one of the organization’s toll-free telephone numbers, the bettor collected his winnings or paid any
    losses by interacting with an agent/runner either in person or through interstate commerce. The
    agent/runner, in turn, met with a money collector to turn over any gambling debts the agent/runner
    collected from his bettors and/or to receive any money from the money collectors that the
    agent/runner’s bettors won. The money collector/distributors, in turn, were responsible for the
    collection and distribution of illegal gambling proceeds between the bookmakers and the
    agents/master-agents.

    The investigation was conducted by the NYPD Detective Joseph Chimienti of the Organized
    Crime Investigation Division of the Organized Crime Control Bureau, under the supervision of
    Lieutenant Jack Iacovou and Detective Matthew Murphy of the NYPD’s Asset Forfeiture Unit under
    the supervision of Sergeant Stephen Scalza.

    Also assisting in the investigation were IRS Special Agent John D. Lopez and IRS
    Supervisory Special Agent Russ Richardson; State of Nevada Gaming Control Board Enforcement
    Division Special Agents James Taylor and Anthony Vincent and Agent Jesse Prieto; Sean O’Malley,
    Deputy Chief Investigator, Enforcement Division, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; and Assistant
    United States Attorney Yasmin Best of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District
    of Illinois and Assistant United States Attorney Tanya Y. Hill of the United States Attorney’s Office
    for the Eastern District of New York.

    Assistant District Attorney Christine M. Maloney, of the District Attorney’s Organized Crime
    and Rackets Bureau, is prosecuting the criminal case under the supervision of Assistant District
    Attorney Gerard A. Brave, Bureau Chief, and Mark L. Katz, Deputy Chief, and Assistant District
    Attorney David S. Zadnoff, of the District Attorney’s Special Proceedings Bureau, is handling the
    civil case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Anthony M. Communiello, Bureau
    Chief, and Oscar W. Ruiz, Deputy Chief. Both the criminal and civil matters are under the overall
    supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy
    Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.
    It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that defendants are
    presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    Note to Editors: E-version of this press release posted at www.queensda.org.

    ADDENDUM
    * denotes those defendants presently not in custody.

    ALLEGED BOOKMAKER (2)

    Joseph J. Fafone, 48, of 6226 Pheasants Crossing, Farmington, New York
    Eric Davis Harp, 36, of 230 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada

    ALLEGED MONEY COLLECTOR (9)

    Joseph P. Fafone, 70, of 7495 La Paz Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida
    Thomas P. Farley, 65, of 7 Ash Street, Floral Park, New York
    Gail R. Harris, 55, of 2445 NW 64th Street, Boca Raton, Florida
    Edward P. Kenny, 59, of 1155 Hillsboro Mile #708, Hillsboro Beach, Florida
    Lester J. Klein, 66, of 166-41 Powell Cove Boulevard, Whitestone, Queens *
    Louis P. Lippa Jr., 61, of 26-3 Great Wood Court, Fairport, New York
    Amanda L. Mercer, 39, of 1058 Castiron Ridge Court, Henderson, Nevada
    Robert J. Rasmussen, 42, of 7432 West 161st Street, Tinley Park, Illinois
    David Valerio, 61, of 81 Meriden Street, Rochester, New York

    ALLEGED MASTER AGENTS (4)

    Jerry Dicresce, 75, of 1 Vincent Road, Apt. 3J, Bronxville, New York
    Edward LaRocco, 61, of 68 Roger Drive, Port Washington, New York
    Robert Wehnert, 63, of 69-26 62nd Avenue, Middle Village, Queens
    David Strickland, 54, of 22837 Ponderosa Drive, Boca Raton, Florida

    ALLEGED AGENTS/RUNNERS (13)

    Robert Aglialoro, 38, of 57-44 81st Street, Middle Village, Queens
    Andrew Berg, 48, of 60 Knollwood Road, Roslyn, New York
    John Bowling, 60, of 9425 Boardwalk Lane, Orland Park, Illinois

    ALLEGED AGENTS/RUNNERS (continued)

    Louis Cassero, 36, of 1771 Washington Avenue, Seaford, New York
    Joseph Catalanotto, 52, of 66 East Shore Road, Huntington, New York
    Philip Cesario, 68, of 303 East 60th Street, New York, New York
    David Goldman, 67, of 401 East 80th Street, New York, New York
    Jonathan Piansky, 39, of 9-20 166th Street, Whitestone, New York
    Joseph Pontarelli, 66, of 19 East 80th Street, New York, New York
    Michael Rizzi, 38, of (home address unavailable), Brooklyn, New York
    Matthew Schmalacker, of 25, 215 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, New York
    Robert Stampf, 74, of 30-61 49th Street, Astoria, Queens
    Louis Todisco, 42, of 166-07 20th Avenue, Whitestone, Queens

    ALLEGED WIRE ROOM MANAGER (1)

    Mike Sheridan, (age unknown), of Via Brasil, Calle 50, Display Plaza #1, Panama City, Panama *

    ALLEGED WIRE ROOM ACCOUNTANT (1)

    Andre Lepiz, (age unknown), of Via Brasil, Calle 50, Display Plaza #1, Panama City, Panama *

    ALLEGED CORPORATION (1)

    JJF Consulting Services, of 6226 Pheasants Crossing, Farmington, New York

  15. #15
    katstale
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    many threads on here to explain how they got there rating. It was never from anything they did as a book. black eye for SBr and has been for a long time.

  16. #16
    20Four7
    Timmy T = Failure
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    BOL was SBR's poster boy book for last year, much in the same the BetPhoenix is this year. Remember SBR is a business first. They do a much better job of protecting the player but revenue is important to them too.

  17. #17
    DukeJohn
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    Quote Originally Posted by clarkd32 View Post
    I noticed BetOnline got downgraded from A- to B-.. is that only because of the article yesterday or because customers are experiencing issues?
    Wow!! This is a blow... BetOnline is one of the few US books with decent limits left with a good rating. Dropping it below B means I will be pulling funds out and removing them from my list of outs. However, I will take a gamble and leave funds in until the first of the next year and see what happens... I luckily pulled most of my money out of them before the start of hockey season, so I will risk what is left...

  18. #18
    dark star
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    BOL = Bigtrouble

  19. #19
    Likes_to_win
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    In light of the current investigation, what's the better method of withdrawing money? Check or wire?

  20. #20
    Rollins08
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    Tough call at this point. I'm guessing your withdrawing to much to do ** or **.

  21. #21
    big joe 1212
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    I think this explains why I received 2 emails from them yesterday with bonus offers, when I haven't heard from them for over a year!

    Are they looking to get as much post up as they can and then run? Or is this just a coincidence?

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