Illegal Sports Betting in Maryland
If you’ve watched any news lately, you’ve probably noticed all kinds of attention to illegal sport betting debacles, driven by a number of big scandals crossing multiple sports agencies:
- Emmanual Clase and Luis Ortiz face 65 years in prison as MLB faces an enormous scandal involving the two pitchers who are accused of throwing previously agreed to or bad pitches in a deal to earn thousands of dollars for bettors.
- The Lucchese crime family was reportedly the architect of an illegal betting network that facilitated roughly $2 million across the nation over time. They are facing charges of money conspiracy, laundering, and related gambling offenses involving at least thirty individuals including two college athletes.
- The LA Lakers, Miami Heat, and Portland Trail Blazers’ involvement in rigged poker games and illegal sports betting has been exposed, risking major turmoil for the NBA teams.
- A 41 game suspension was the punishment for NHL’s Shane Pinto as a result of sports betting by proxy betters, even though none of those bets involved hockey.
Federal Law
The FBI Corruption in Sport and Gaming (CCSG) task force faces off against illegal sports and gaming, which includes:
- Sports and gaming bets conducted by illegal entities;
- Game manipulation;
- Athletes with doping charges;
- Bribery from individuals and/or institutions aimed at fixing stats or games;
- Extortion or threats toward officials, athletes, or sports staff in an attempt to throw the outcome of an event.
Illegal Sportsbooks
The FBI chases down illegal sportsbooks, which commonly operate with no reporting requirements or betting limits. In addition to risks to bettors, there is a concern that organized crime may use profits from such illegal gambling sites for other illegal operations, such as human trafficking, weapons, and criminal drug activity. When naïve individuals get involved with illegal sportsbooks they can become victims of threats and extortion in order to collect debts.
Game Manipulation
Athletes, officials, and staff who are pressured by criminal entities to illegally influence sporting events may be found guilty of game manipulation when their actions result in financial benefits to bettors.
Sports Betting in Maryland
Sports betting is completely legal in Maryland and has been since 2021, as long as you stick to an approved venue. There are currently 60 online licenses for sportsbook, as well as 47 brick and mortar sportsbook licenses, plus three reserved licenses reserved in the event a pro team relocates in Maryland. Other than prohibitions related to high school sports and a few non-sports occurrences such as the Academy Awards, pretty much anything goes with a few caveats that include:
- Running an illegal gambling operation could cost you $5,000 and a year behind bars, and federal charges could add 5 years for each organization you run;
- Federal charges for online gambling across state lines could run you another 5 years in prison and get you banned from gambling for the rest of your life;
- Laundering money through gambling could lead to 20 years in federal prison, in addition to a $500,000 fine, or a fine of double what was laundered.
Fighting for You
The experienced LaPlata & Waldorf criminal defense attorneys at The Law Office of Hammad S. Matin, P.A. always fight for the best outcomes for our clients. To discuss, schedule a confidential consultation today.
