12 Charged in U.S. in
Costa Rica Based Online
Gambling Operation
U.S. officials have
indicted 12 men for
their involvement in an
online gambling site
based in Costa Rica.
Arrests were made in New
York, Maryland and
Massachusetts, however,
the ringleader, Carmine
Cicalese, is still at
large and may be in
Costa Rica.
Online gambling is
illegal in the United
States since 2006 when
credit card companies
were banned from
processing online gaming
payments.
Jorge Rojas, director of
the Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ),
assures that his police
agency is investigating
fully the various
companies related to
money laundering and
fraud, using online
gaming as front,
operating in Costa Rica.
Rojas explained that
customers in the U.S.
were fooled into
believing that their
were placing their bets
in the United States,
when actually the
information was taken in
Costa Rica, on football
games and other
competitive sports.
Online gaming sites
based in Costa Rica is
nothing new. One of the
largest online gaming
operations closed its
doors after actions U.S.
officials. Bet On Sports
was located in Mall San
Pedro and left some
1.400 people without
work when the operation
closed its doors after
its CEO was detained by
US authorities.
According to U.S.
authorities, Cicalese is
alleged to have operated
a number of websites,
including
betwestspots.com and a
toll-free call centre
knowns a Cicalese
Wireroom.
The wireroom operated as
a clearing house for
U.S. bookies to sign up
customers on the
Cicalese websites who
then would be able to
place bets over the
phone. Using Voice Over
Internet Protocol (VoIP),
the calls were routed to
Costa Rica, where the
wireroom would take the
bet, charging a fee of
up to us$30 per bet,
collected in person by
the wireroom runners.
Authorities say that the
money collected would
then be moved to Costa
Rica by courier, debit
cards and wire
transfers.
The 12 men in the United
States are charged with
a range of offences
including illegal
gambling and money
laundering.
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