Gambler Placing Bet at Illegal Sportsbook

Mobsters Charged Over Illegal Sports Betting Laws & Regulations

Staten Island Mobsters Charged Over Illegal Sports Betting

By Lisa Spencer Senior Editor Updated: 22 June 2024

Lisa Spencer Senior Editor

As a Senior Editor at Betting.US, Lisa Spencer is a valuable member of our expert team. With a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Lisa is adept in gambling theory and analyzing odds. She contributes by writing online sportsbook reviews and finding competitive markets to help our readers make an informed choice.

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It has been reported that 17 people with links to the mob have been arrested over the running of an illegal sports betting ring.

Those arrested are from Staten Island, New York, and are said to have links to the Gambino crime family. They have been charged with a number of crimes, and this includes running a $22 million illegal sports betting venture via an offshore website.

The Attorney General’s office claims that the offshore site, ubet1288, was managed by Edward LaForte. It is further claimed that between September 2022 and March 2023, the site took close to $23 million in bets from more than 70 bettors. One of the bettors is said to have developed a system that netted him $800,000, which was revealed following a wiretap by investigators.

However, officials said that in most cases, those betting through the illegal sports betting website ended up owing thousands of dollars. Others said to have been involved in the illegal operation include Anthony Cinque, 40, of Edison, N.J., and John Matera, aged 54.

A Range of Indictments

Groups of defendants who were allegedly involved in the illegal operation faced a range of indictments. These included promoting gambling, enterprise corruption, and criminal usury and conspiracy.

The defendants stood before Justice Lisa Grey at the Staten Island Courthouse recently and were seen in groups of three. According to reports, it took several hours for the bail arguments from defense attorneys to be heard.

It was claimed that when bettors accrued debts as a result of gambling through the illegal website, the mobsters involved offered to loan them money at crippling interest rates. For many, this raised additional concerns about possible violence in the event that the gamblers were unable to repay the debts.

However, LaForte’s attorney said that nobody got hurt, stating:

The so-called victims all love LaForte. He’s a gentleman. No one was smacked, no one was threatened, no one was hollered at.

Among the people to be charged was a former NYPD police officer who is now retired, as well as his 41-year-old son.

Illegal Betting Linked to Organized Crime

New York State Gaming Commission Chairman Brian O’Dwyer said in the AG’s release that illegal betting is often linked to organized crime. He said that this is something that had been seen for more than a century and that this is why there are regulations and safeguards in place to protect both bettors and state revenue.

He added that with so many legal sports betting options available in New York, there was no need for people to turn to illegal sports betting operations.

O’Dwyer also said that those who did bet through these illegal sites were simply lining the pockets of mobsters and putting themselves at risk. Illegal sports betting has become a huge issue in many states and is part of the reason why so many states have decided to legalize this activity.

According to reports, all of the defendants involved in the illegal sports betting ring will now appear in court again in mid-August.