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FreedomAtStake's Blog
A High Point for American Justice
By FreedomAtStake | View all Posts
Posted 15 hours, 39 minutes ago 2 comments
First off, let me offer a word of congratulations to the fine people at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Nice work, folks! Thanks for going to bat for us! U-S-A! U-S-A!
If you haven't heard yet, this crack team has just unsealed the Indictment of the Century.
“It is illegal for internet gambling enterprises to do business in Maryland, regardless of where the website operator is located,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “We cannot allow foreign website operators to flout the law simply because their headquarters are based outside the country.”
He's right, you know. I mean, other than the fact that he's COMPLETELY WRONG, since the WTO has ruled against America for its stance against online gambling and America has been defying international law for the better part of a decade.
Yeah, other than that part, he's right.
After all, what those guys at Pimilico Race Track in Baltimore have been doing is beyond the pale. Just by going to their site you get connected to online betting operations like Xpressbet and Magnabet and can place bets on races happening at a Maryland race track. I am shocked - shocked! - to find out that gambling has been going on there. This has been happening right in their dojo.
Huh? That's not what he's referring to?
Nope. Instead, he's charging two online sportsbook operators of conducting an illegal gambling business and taking online sports wagers from people in Maryland. Because that is sooooooo much different than what happens at Pimlico, I guess.
The two operations involved in this indictment are betEd.com and Bookmaker.com, which each had their domains stolen by the government as part of the crackdown. Anyone currently going to those sites will have their browsers return pretty messages from the DOJ, complete with borders screaming "Seized", and stating the nature of their heinous crimes... "It is unlawful to conduct an illegal gambling business in violation of 18 U.S.C. and any property used in violation of that section is subject to seizure and forfeiture pursuant to 18 U.S.C 1955(d)."
So exactly what took place during the investigation?
Well, according to the affidavit, "Homeland Security Investigations in Baltimore, Maryland opened an undercover payment processor business, called Linwood Payment Solutions. Linwood allowed undercover agents to gain person-to-person contact with top managers of gambling organizations to discuss the Internet gambling business, to negotiate contracts and terms of the processing, and to handle the intricate movement and processing of collection and payment data from the gambling organizations to the banks."
And the scale of the transactions is truly eye-opening: "Between February 2010 and March 2011 alone, BetEd directed Linwood to wire transfer over $2.5 million of collected gambling proceeds to bank accounts in Panama..."
O....M....G!
That works out to about $6,000 per day! $6,000! Holy shit, those guys must have been getting rich, using that six grand to support management, dozens of employees, rent, systems, and marketing costs. Wow! This is truly a coup. The ghost of Elliot Ness must be shedding a tear of pride.
The affidavit also claims that Bookmaker's operators processed an astonishing $91,000 over a three month period, or about $1000 per day.
Stop the presses and redirect the entire DOJ budget, because these brave law enforcement officials have uncovered some crimes that will truly shake the nation once the tabloids get ahold of this information.
And how did these evil criminal masterminds conduct their crimes?
Well, the affidavit provides some startling details, such as this harrowing and cautionary tale: "on November 12, 2009, a Maryland-based online gambler and cooperating informant confirmed that he/she frequented gambling sites, opened accounts and gambled in Maryland. The gambler agreed to set up online gambling accounts and was provided $500 to place bets on gambling websites. The gambler created an account on a BetEd website and placed several bets. On March 30, 2010, BetEd used Linwood to wire transfer $100 in winnings to the gambler’s bank account."
Sweet Gentle Jesus, the depravity of these people! Are you telling me that betEd accepted $500 from a willing gambler... and then actually PAID them after they won some money during the NCAA Tournament? This is a worst-case scenario. How do these terrible sportsbook operators sleep at night, taking advantage of a poor sick individual like that?
[... As an aside, I would like to get in contact with that DOJ stooge, as anybody who generates a 20% profit in 138 days has a future as a handicapper. Call me, Dude. I mean it...]
Anyway, this is a prime example of your tax dollars at work.
I can't, for the life of me, imagine how much this two-year sting operation cost the American taxpayers, but this is definitely a high-point for American Justice. Think about it. While building a case against online gambling they have managed to prove that online gambling companies actually don't generate ridiculously excessive amounts of cash by ripping off unsuspecting Americans, and they actually do pay them off when they win."
Which brings up a great point...
Over the last couple of years, many people have asked us why betEd has been the top sportsbook listed on our site. Well, this affidavit perfectly illustrates our reasoning.
betEd is an operation that has always targeted the small recreational bettor. We are talking about guys who make deposits of $500 or less and bet less than $20 per game. These people make up the vast majority of the users on our site and represent the future of sports gambling as a harmless form of entertainment. And if those players happen to win at betEd, they always get paid. This affidavit proves that betEd actually represents everything that is RIGHT about online gambling.
And for that, the "...defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for operating an illegal gambling business and a maximum of 20 years in prison for money laundering."
And it's not just betEd. Bookmaker is another company with a stellar reputation for operating as a top-notch book that always paid it's willing players. They also face the same potential penalties.
So we all can rest easy today knowing that the government is cracking down on foreign businesses in sovereign jurisdictions that are operating in an honest and ethical manner while catering to willing Americans, but as of yet nobody on Wall Street has been charged for their part in abusing the American public and triggering the financial meltdown that has crippled the worldwide economy for the past three years.
I guess it's all about priorities
