California cardroom’s illegal betting ringleader pleads guilty

The father and son operators of an illegal sportsbook at a California cardroom have pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy.

Thirteen months ago, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service and the San Diego Police Department charged 14 individuals with operating an illegal credit betting operation being run out of the Lucky Lady Casino & Card Room. The ring placed wagers on behalf of its customers with betting sites based in the UK, Costa Rica, Curacao and Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, the betting operation’s ringleader Sanders Segal and his son Sydney both pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy following a deal with prosecutors. The San Diego Union Tribune reported that the deal requires the Segals to surrender a combined $232k, their share of the estimated $1m in profits the betting ring generated between 2013 and the 2016 arrests.

Sydney Segal was a cage manager at the Lucky Lady, a position he used to commingle the gang’s betting proceeds with the card room’s legitimate earnings. Sydney was also responsible for keeping the betting operation’s books.