Seven charged in poker raids

Interactive Poker

Curtis Rush
Staff Reporter

Police have charged seven people with running illegal gambling houses following a series of raids in Mississauga in which as many as 80 people were originally detained.
Members of the OPP's Illegal Gambling Unit, in co-operation with the Peel Regional Police, executed search warrants on four Mississauga businesses in the past several weeks.
After an investigation that began last December, police raided one unit in Mississauga on July 21 and busted two operations last Sunday and one on Monday, according to Det. Staff Sgt. Clint Hunter.
He said the investigation confirmed that four gaming houses were inviting the public to attend to play Texas Hold 'em and other games of poker, with people charging fees for the activity.
The warrants were executed at Topflight Poker Club, 125 Topflight Dr.; Pockets at 6160 Netherhart Rd., Unit No. 10; No Limit Club at 5500 Tomken Rd., Unit 8; and Hollywood, at 2408 Haines Rd., Unit 5.
Police decided not to charge the players, who were released unconditionally.
But police laid charges of keeping a common gaming house against the operators of the establishments.
The OPP's Illegal Gambling Unit is part of the OPP's Organized Crime Section. It is a specialized police unit headed by the OPP in partnership with police services in Toronto, London, Peel, York, Windsor and Ottawa.
The unit is responsible for investigating province-wide illegal gambling operations.
Police say millions of dollars are made from these operations and often the proceeds can wind up with organized crime. Sometimes drugs and weapons are seized, but none were seized in these latest raids, police said.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/250589

AcidJoe

I"m so glad they are keeping me safe from myself. I guess everything will be a little further under the radar now.

Interactive Poker

By SUN MEDIA

Four illegal gaming operations in Mississauga industrial buildings have been raided since July 21, the head of the OPP?s anti-gambling unit says.

But Det. Staff-Sgt. Clint Hunter said many of the 76 people found inside expressed relief the raiders were police.

?They are spending the milk money and some of this goes to organized crime,? Hunter said Tuesday. ?Some may be setting themselves up for a holdup," and patrons know they risk being hurt if robbed.

No patrons were charged -- and no cash in their pockets was seized -- after raids on Hollywood on Haines Rd., the upscale Topflight Poker Club on Topflight Dr., the lower-end Pockets club on Netherhart Rd., or the No Limit Club on Tomken Rd.

However, seven men were charged with keeping an illegal gaming house and a criminal code section permitting organized crime proceeds to be seized. Until their charges are filed, no names will be released. All were remanded out of custody for later court dates.

During the four raids, officers seized $35,000 in cash, plus the unit?s contents, which included plasma TVs, leather sofas, and in one case several slot machines

http://torontosun.com/News/2007/08/28/4452976.html

Interactive Poker

Luck ran out for dozens of people found by police in four alleged illegal gambling houses in Ottawa Wednesday evening.

Police armed with search warrants raided the Poker Loft, the Ottawa River Club, the Uppercut Club and the Royal ? four establishments where they believed Texas hold 'em poker was being played illegally.

The raids were carried out at about 11:30 p.m., said a news release issued Thursday by the Ontario Provincial Police.

Police arrested 68 people. Eight are charged with keeping a common gaming house, and 60 are charged with being found in a common gaming house. One man was also charged with two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.

All the suspects charged have been released and will later appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa.

Police also seized gaming tables, chips, cards, other gaming paraphernalia, marijuana and more than $12,000 in cash.

In addition, police took furnishings, electronics and entertainment units that they allege are the proceeds of crime.

The bust was conducted by the illegal gambling unit of the Ontario Provincial with help from the Ottawa Police Service after a six-month investigation.

BlondeFish

I always thought the raid at Topflight was simply the OPP starting to enforce the anti-gambling provisions of the Criminal Code against raked poker clubs in the GTA, as opposed to targeting something bigger such as drugs, guns or gangs. There are no other charges against the four clubs' operators other than keeping a common gaming house.

Topflight was raided during its monthly $500 tournament and Hollywood was probably raided on Monday during its weekly $60 tournament when both clubs were the busiest. Does anybody know if Pockets and No Limit were having a tournament last Sunday when they were raided?

It has been consistent that the OPP takes at least six months of investigation before executing the search warrants and raid. The big question for operators is which clubs are currently under investigation by undercover officers and will be raided next. I'm surprised that with the Peel Regional Police involved, no raids were conducted in Brampton (yet).

See http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2007/08/29/4454227-sun.html for another article:

'The head of the OPP's anti-gambling unit said as players were arrested Wednesday evening, the owner of Hollywood DJ on Haines Rd. used the "I don't get no respect" line made famous by Dangerfield
:
Hollywood owner William Gianakos, identified in the complex yesterday, accepted $200 a day from a Chinese game organizer "after he had trouble paying his rent," a close friend said.

The Mississauga Poker Group website, also on facebook, promoted "high stakes" and other games at the Hollywood, starting April 4.'

Interactive Poker;124583 wroteAfter an investigation that began last December, police raided one unit in Mississauga on July 21 and busted two operations last Sunday and one on Monday, according to Det. Staff Sgt. Clint Hunter.
:
The warrants were executed at Topflight Poker Club, 125 Topflight Dr.; Pockets at 6160 Netherhart Rd., Unit No. 10; No Limit Club at 5500 Tomken Rd., Unit 8; and Hollywood, at 2408 Haines Rd., Unit 5.
:
It is a specialized police unit headed by the OPP in partnership with police services in Toronto, London, Peel, York, Windsor and Ottawa.

actyper

From Hollywood's FB page,

Monday, August 27th, 2007. 10:00pm,
Police came in the Hollywood Club and raided it down, everything was seized. Jerry Tran was arrested and charged, fine is up to $20,000 CAD according to the law section 201, or up to 2 years jail time. Court day for Jerry is in October, so the club is now down. All players and dealers were let go by the police. From TVs to slot machine, tables, chairs, computers, etc... ALL GONE. On behalf of everyone from Hollywood, we appologize for this inconveniece. Unfortunately, HPT cannot continue for this season.

Somebody else wrote that hardly anybody showed up for the tourney so there were hints that it was going down.

I like this part..
"Hollywood owner William Gianakos, identified in the complex yesterday, accepted $200 a day from a Chinese game organizer "after he had trouble paying his rent," a close friend said."

Wetts1012

I can tell you No Limit was running a $20, unraked Sit-and-go.

There were 6 people there. The issue in this case was the fact that at the time the warrant was issued, the club was operating raked cash games.

More cops came in than players.

One of the cops gives a little too much information and says, "We have 27 of these things to execute throughout the GTA".

Wetts1012

Oh and this:

My favourite quote from the article:

Any cash in player's pockets was not seized, Hunter said. "They're not there for fun ... they've got to get their fix."

I'm glad Mr. Hunter was involved in the intervention for all of us. I can now start on the long road of recovery to enjoying life again.

Interactive Poker

Accused: 'I don't get no respect'

By IAN ROBERTSON, SUN MEDIA

Alleged illegal gaming houses raided

MISSISSAUGA -- An accused illegal gambling den-keeper showed police respect in the last of four recent raids -- with a takeoff of late comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

The head of the OPP's anti-gambling unit said as players were arrested Wednesday evening, the owner of Hollywood DJ on Haines Rd. used the "I don't get no respect" line made famous by Dangerfield, who died in 2004.

"He was quite good at it," Det. Staff-Sgt. Clint Hunter said of the monologue in the industrial unit, where Texas Hold 'em and other poker games were interrupted.

Hollywood owner William Gianakos, identified in the complex yesterday, accepted $200 a day from a Chinese game organizer "after he had trouble paying his rent," a close friend said.

The Mississauga Poker Group website, also on facebook, promoted "high stakes" and other games at the Hollywood, starting April 4.

'KIND OF DESPERATE'

"Bill wasn't hurting anybody," his friend said. "He got kind of desperate. I didn't see no heavyweights."

The long-time businessman said Gianakos lived there until the raid. There was no answer at the locked door and no phone listing for him.

The pal said another card game in a nearby building closed several years ago after robbers scooped up $60,000.

Hunter said many of the 76 players in the four alleged illegal gaming clubs in industrial buildings since July 21 were relieved police were raiding.

"They are spending the milk money and some of this goes to organized crime," he said, adding with some clubs raking in $4,000 a night and $1 million-a-year business not unheard-of, patrons know they risk holdups and injury.

Any cash in player's pockets was not seized, Hunter said. "They're not there for fun ... they've got to get their fix."

During the raids, officers seized $35,000 in cash, plus contents, including TVs, leather sofas, a roulette wheel and several slot machines.

Gangs regularly relocate, but "at least I'll put a crimp in their armour," Hunter said.

Seven men were charged with keeping an illegal gaming house and a criminal code section permitting organized crime proceeds to be seized

BlondeFish

Does anybody know the details of the poker raids last week? Is it true that The Unit and Beaches Poker Club were raided, and five more people charged?

Wetts1012;124618 wroteOne of the cops gives a little too much information and says, "We have 27 of these things to execute throughout the GTA".

PegasusKid

Formac in Burlington got raided last night. I wasn't there, but a friend of mine showed up just as it was going down and managed to play dumb at the entrance when a cop stopped him. They keep sweeping west apparently.