Golden Nugget College GOYs June 13 A little early this year but 200 games go up on June 13 at the Golden Nugget.
Lot's of opportunity on that board each year but at the cost of locking up a
chunk of your bankroll for up to 6 months. The first hits are obviously the best
but bettors get a second early chance to bet when some off-shores and a couple
local books copy the games at the adjusted lines.
Many show up, some flying in for the event to get first crack at the openers.
When it comes time to cash they either make a return trip or use the mail-in
option to receive payment by check. That second option went very bad last
year for one Joe Fortuna of New Jersey. He mailed his winners in only to have
a US Postal worker steal the tickets and make a go at cashing them.
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Story by BettingTalk.com via David Purdham:
SPORTS BETTING CRIME
U.S. Postal Service worker accused of stealing mailed-in sports betting tickets
By David Purdum on May 21, 2014 at 2:08 pm@DavidPurdum
A U.S. Postal Service employee was arrested by a Nevada Gaming Control agent on March 31 and accused of stealing winning sports tickets that were mailed in by out-of-state bettors.
Postal worker Shawn Cushman, 35, was charged with three counts of theft and two counts of fraud for allegedly stealing 12 sports book tickets worth $9,400 and “redeeming and attempting to redeem them,” according to NGC Chief of Enforcement Karl Bennison.
The USPS Office of Inspector General confirmed the arrest Thursday and said that it conducted a joint investigation with the NGC, including interviewing Cushman in April.
The USPS OIG released the following statement Thursday: “The USPS OIG considers the allegation of theft of any U.S. Mail by any Postal Service employee to be a very serious issue. When such allegations are made, the USPS OIG vigorously investigates those allegations, as we did in this instance.”
Joe Fortuna, a sports bettor from New Jersey, was one of the alleged victims. Fortuna traveled to Las Vegas last June to bet the early college football point spreads offered by the Golden Nugget sports book. He bet around 20 games at the Nugget and placed several more futures bets around town before returning home. Will post the list year with the openers when they become available.
In past years, Fortuna had flown back to Vegas to cash in winning tickets. But this year, he elected to use the mail, sending in tickets in batches. After Wisconsin covered against Ohio State on Sept. 28, Fortuna was up approximately $6,000. He followed the mailing instructions on the back of the tickets, addressed the envelope to the Golden Nugget Accounting Department and put them in the mail in October.
Four months later, he received two phone calls. The first came from a representative of the postal service, informing him that his tickets had been stolen and cashed. The second call came from the NGC, updating him on where the investigation was at and informing him of his options.
“The NGC has been very apologetic and assured me that I would receive my money back,” said Fortuna, who added that this was the first time he’s ever had an issue mailing in winning tickets.
According to Bennison, the NGC does not receive many complaints regarding stolen tickets. He advised anyone who has issues with mailed-in tickets to first contact the U.S. Postal Service and then NGC. Anyone with additional information related to the incident should contact the USPS OIG at 1-888-USPS-OIG.
In the fiscal year 2013, 339 postal employees and contractors were arrested for theft, delay or destruction of mail, according to the USPS, which claims a workforce of more than 522,000 employees.
While Bennison said the NGC doesn’t receive many complaints regarding stolen tickets, this isn’t the first time Nevada sports book veterans have heard about mailed-in tickets being targeted. Legendary Las Vegas oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough says he remembers it happening during his days that included a long stint at the Stardust sports book.
Chris Andrews, a 30-year veteran Nevada oddsmaker, most recently with Cal-Neva, remembers it happening in Reno.
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