【willbet Casino】Hot Copy: Long arm of the law catches up to legislator

Legislator runs into the law

According to an explosive article from NJ.com this week,willbet Casino Anand Shah, the Borough Council president of Prospect Park, New Jersey, was arrested Wednesday and charged with multiple offences related to organised crime and illegal gambling operations.

Shah, 42, a Democrat currently serving his third term in office, is facing 11 criminal charges. These include conspiracy, money laundering, racketeering, and five offences tied specifically to gambling activities.  

The charges stem from Shah’s alleged role as an associate of the Lucchese crime family, a well-known organised crime group with historic ties to New Jersey and New York. 

According to a 16-page criminal complaint, Shah is accused of possessing gambling records typically associated with bookmaking operations or illegal lottery schemes.

Authorities also allege that Shah facilitated unlawful gambling on premises accessible to the public.

The alleged offences occurred in Hanover Township, a suburban community in Morris County located approximately 30 minutes west of Prospect Park.

Investigators believe Shah’s involvement was part of a broader criminal enterprise with deep roots in the region.

This case is linked to a larger law enforcement effort targeting organised crime gambling rings in the state.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced charges against 39 individuals believed to be part of a wide-reaching gambling operation connected to the Lucchese crime family.

The defendants face a range of charges, including racketeering, promoting gambling, and money laundering.

Several of those charged appeared in Morris County Superior Court on Thursday.

Prosecutors confirmed that six defendants were detained due to their alleged involvement in planning or carrying out acts of violence.

In a related 2016 case, a high-ranking member of the Lucchese crime family and his two sons were sentenced to state prison for their participation in a multibillion-dollar gambling scheme that used threats and violence to collect debts.

Shah has not publicly commented on the charges. The Borough Council has not yet issued a statement regarding his arrest.

Black market woes 

Elsewhere, new research published in Bloombergreveals a concerning trend in America’s online betting landscape: It suggests illegal gambling operations have become the dominant force, capturing 74% of all US online gambling revenue in 2024.

According to figures produced by Yield Sec, unlicensed sportsbooks and casinos collected $67.1bn while their legal counterparts generated only $23bn. 

The underground gambling economy has flourished, with approximately 10 illegal operators for every licensed one, the illegal gambling analysis platform claims.

Without regulatory burdens like taxes and licensing fees, these shadowy operations can offer more attractive incentives to players through bigger bonuses and better odds, while often mimicking the appearance of legitimate sites. 

Even in New Jersey, where online betting is fully legalised, unlicensed operators still managed to capture 40% of the $6.1bn gambling market, Yield Sec says.  

In California, where online gambling remains prohibited, illegal operators collected a whopping $5.49bn from players engaging with unregulated platforms. 

Major sporting events proved particularly lucrative for these operations, with the Olympics, Super Bowl, and March Madness driving significant traffic.

Novelty bets on events like potential celebrity engagements have also attracted casual gamblers who might not typically place wagers. 

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling’s founder Derek Webb has called for national regulation and pressure on “rogue jurisdictions” that host many of these operations.  

Meanwhile, Yield Sec’s founder Ismail Vali summarised the situation simply: “Illegal gambling wins.” 

Yield Sec’s research methodology combines monitoring of search traffic, site visits, user interactions, and time spent on gambling platforms to estimate transaction values. 

Their findings align with American Gaming Association data, Bloombergreported, which reported $22.1bn in licensed gambling revenue for 2024.

Tonali back in the headlines

Finally, Newcastle footballer Sandro Tonali found his way back into the papers for his gambling activity this week, with The Mirrorreporting that he is back at the centre of another gambling investigation.

Tonali previously faced a 10-month ban from professional football after breaching the Italian Football Federation’s rules on betting.

Having since returned to representing Newcastle professionally, new reports from Italy suggest “he is now at the centre of a fresh betting probe by Milan prosecutors, who have been led to 12 other players after analysing his electronic device and that of Fiorentina player Nicolo Fagioli, who also previously served a betting ban.”

The Mirror reports that the new investigation involves poker games and betting on non-football sporting events on banned gambling platforms.

Tonali will inevitably seek to avoid any further interruptions to his professional career. 

According to the article, his previous charges were said to have had a “profound effect” on the player and are “something he does not want to experience again”.

Upon his return to playing at Newcastle last August, the club’s boss Eddie Howe explained that the club had supported him as best it could.

“Generally it was a feeling of just being worried about the person, genuinely,” he said. “You know the player is facing this moment, that is not easy for any person, so it was really just to help him and protect him.

“Sandro has been through it with all of us. He’s leant on different people in that time, the other coaches, and his team-mates have probably been the most important people who he’s been spending most time with. And the fans too.”

With this reality now long behind him, Tonali will certainly be hoping for a swift resolution to the new Italian betting probe.