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CALGARY POLICE SERVICE VICE UNIT

CALGARY POLICE SERVICE VICE UNIT. Det. Jim Rorison. GAMBLING / GAMING. GAMBLING EQUATES TO PROSTITUTION, PEOPLE GO IN WITH THEIR EYES OPEN SEEKING PLEASURE GAMBLING KNOWS NO SOCIAL BOUNDARIES. INVESTIGATIONS.

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CALGARY POLICE SERVICE VICE UNIT

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  1. CALGARY POLICE SERVICE VICE UNIT Det. Jim Rorison

  2. GAMBLING / GAMING

  3. GAMBLING EQUATES TO PROSTITUTION, PEOPLE GO IN WITH THEIR EYES OPEN SEEKING PLEASURE • GAMBLING KNOWS NO SOCIAL BOUNDARIES

  4. INVESTIGATIONS MOST GAMING HOUSE INVESTIGATIONS RESULT FROM COMPLAINTS FROM SPOUSES OR COMPETITIORS GAMING HOUSES. SOME OF THE BEST GAMES IN TOWN CAN BE FOUND BY FOLLOWING KNOWN HIGH STAKES GAMBLERS

  5. IDENTIFY A LOCATION AND MAKE OBSERVATIONS OF TRAFFIC SUCH AS KNOWN GAMBLERS, ORGANIZED CRIME FIGURES – PIMPS, EHTNIC GANG MEMBERS OR DRUGGIES. PEOPLE WHO MAKE EASY MONEY ARE DISPOSED TO GAMBLING AS THE LOSS IS NOT AS SIGNIFICANT

  6. GAMES PLAYED IN GAMING HOUSES TEXAS HOLDEM & OMAHA THERE WILL BE BOOKMAKING ASSOCIATED TO MOST GAMING HOUSES

  7. OPERATION TEXAS

  8. A Joint Forces Operation consisting of resources from the Calgary Police Service Vice Unit, Edmonton Police Service Vice Unit and Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. ILLEGAL GAMING HOUSES • COMSTOCK MENS CLUB • CHINOOK SOCIAL CLUB • THE GAME • THE 108 STREET CLUB

  9. HOW MUCH MONEY • TEXAS HOLD’EM • Usually 32-35 hands per hour • OMAHA • Usually 22-27 hands per hour • 3 % rake/donation fee to the house • 1%-2% tip to the dealer

  10. TYPE OF GAME CLUB REVENUE 3-6-12 $40-$65 / hour 5-10 $50 -$85 /hour 10-20 $60-$100 / hour In hourly terms at 16 table hours per day extrapolated to a yearly figure the clubs can realize $468,000 per year…….tax free

  11. PEAK PLAYING TIMES 2 Poker Clubs offered games 24 hours a day 2 Poker Clubs opened after the Casino’s closed at 2 a.m. and operated until around 7 a.m. However they might continue for days on end ……one player stated he had once played for 52 hours without a break

  12. STRATEGIES • Use of an undercover operator to infiltrate the 4 poker clubs • Identify the rake and where it went • Identify the owners, dealers and players • Identify any licenced gaming workers working or playing in the clubs • Determine the extent if any of the organized crime aspect to the poker clubs.

  13. STRATEGIES NOT USED Pursue bookmaking component • Inexperience on the Investigators side • Lack of funding – minimum bet of $500 • No wiretap capability Proceeds of Crime Component • No definitive box of cash for them • Most Keepers are gamblers and their money is transient • Little records kept by the keepers

  14. STUMBLING BLOCKS Coordinating 4 agencies to make a commitment to start on the same date – and have resources in place Having trained undercover operators available in case primary u/c is burnt – major difficulty Operational security – casino staff, cops, police management – want to talk about the file Training of prosecutors, defense counsel and Judges in relation to gaming matters

  15. STATUS 4 locations taken down at the same time……2:30 am 12 owners charged with keeping a gaming house 19 dealers/housemen charged 55 players/found-in’s charged 25 licenced gaming workers suspended for 30 days-90 days All owners convicted in Court – average fine $5,000 – up from a previous $500 fine AGLC has extended licenced poker room hours to 22 hours a day thereby eliminating the opportunity for illegal poker rooms to recruit customers

  16. SEIZURES 14 Texas Hold’em poker tables - 300 lbs each 70 office style chairs – 20 others 60 thousand poker chips – valued at 95 cents each 14 rake/donation boxes Documents – filing cabinets We needed an 8 man crew with a fully packed 5 ton truck to complete the seizures Storage can become an issue due to the size of the items

  17. ILLEGAL GAMBLING MACHINES Video Gambling Machines started appearing in Eastern and Southern Ontario approximately 10 to 12 years ago. Today there are anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 video gambling machines across the province. Currently, it is suspected that the illegal gaming machines are becoming more prevalent throughout Alberta.

  18. The three main types of machines that are likely to be found are: • Video Poker Machines • Quarter Horse Machines • Lucky 8 Line Machines

  19. WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE

  20. The 2000 C.I.S.A. Report stated: “In Western Canada, video gaming and lottery machines are the newest, and possibly the largest, illicit source of gambling income available to organized crime groups. The machines can earn up to $2000 per machine, per week, making this an extremely lucrative business. The cost of the machines ranges between $2500 and $5000 and is quickly paid off. Organized crime groups including the Hell’s Angels, Asian-based organized crime, Traditional organized crime, and East European-based groups are all involved in the illegal operation of these machines.”

  21. OPERATION PAYOUT

  22. JOINT FORCES OPERATION

  23. HISTORICAL INFORMATION Tips from numerous anonymous sources about illegal machines in ethnic areas of Calgary Confidential source information identifying owners and amounts of monies being generated Relatives of players complaining of persons losing thousands of dollars and eventually committing suicide Uniform Police Officers recording activity around the machines while conducting routine patrols

  24. LOCATIONS Identified 5 locations on International Avenue – exclusively Asian Identified 8 persons who were owners/operators of the illegal gaming houses Identified the existence of 10 illegal gaming machines – horse race video machines

  25. ROADBLOCKS Insular community – everyone well known to each other Inability to use Calgary Asian undercover police officer Gaining commitment from EPS to supply Asian Officer Monitoring of Asian undercover operator who spoke only Vietnamese while inside the locations Ability for primarily Caucasian officers to conduct surveillance on the targets and maintain officer safety of the Asian undercover operator

  26. STATUS 6 ILLEGAL GAMING HOUSES IDENTIFIED 12 ADULTS CHARGED WITH 22 CRIMINAL CHARGES LAID 26 ILLEGAL GAMING MACHINES SEIZED $8000 CASH SEIZED FROM INSIDE MACHINES 30 GRAMS OF CRACK COCAINE SEIZED 3 PERSONS DEPORTED BY CANADA IMMIGRATION

  27. BOOKMAKING We have completed 3 investigations over the last 3 years involving bookmakers The main reason they survive is because Sports Select does not allow for single game bets, credit …………….. There are several large bookmakers in Calgary, some of which provide services to a large Asian community Difficult to get investigative partners as they do not impact any direct government gaming venue

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