Indictments Handed Down in Borgata Sportsbook Bust

This past November, law enforcement officials arrested two dozen people for their involvement in an illegal sports betting ring that was operating out of the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Thursday, a grand jury issued indictments to all twenty-four, which charges including racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering, and third-degree promoting gambling.

Originally it was estimated that $22 million in sports bets were placed with the illegal sportsbook, but New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram now says that the number was almost three times that - $60 million.

The ringleader, Andrew Micali, is reportedly an associate of Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, the Philadelphia mob boss. One would think that a major operation such as this would be hard to keep on the down-low, but it took a hard look at the “eye in the sky” security camera footage and help from an informant to spot the illegal activity.  

The sportsbook operators would accept cash from customers and exchange it for chips with the “rogue” casino employees.  The chips would then be put into play on the casino floor and eventually cashed out again.  This money laundering process is called “washing.”  Getting casino employees, which included a poker room supervisor, dealers, and a bartender, involved helped the operators avoid detection.

Authorities found $40,000 in Micali’s safe deposit box at the Borgata, as well as over $200,000 in his bank account, which was frozen.