Illegal Gambling Los Angeles
Gambling as we know it was first started in California during the Gold Rush of 1849, when prospecting Americans moved west in order make their fortunes. Groups of mostly men gathered together with very little in the way of established entertainment, and betting sprang up. However, before long some saloon owners were cheating those playing cards and other games of chance in their businesses, and gambling became more controversial in California.
Many of the 50 states have laws against gambling, making it illegal except in certain scenarios. California is no exception to this. In fact, while California is considered to have some of the laxest gambling laws on the books, they still exist. And breaking gambling laws could still result in a serious conviction, leading to harsh penalties. But when did gambling become illegal? Why is it still illegal? In what scenarios is a person in California legally allowed to gamble?
Illegal gambling facilities in Long Beach have also housed more violent crime, as two fatal shootings have taken place at different locations this year. 15, 54-year-old Marvey Alofaituli of. Los Angeles Daily News Negative at the UCLA Library. 1928 saw the appearance of the first of the gambling ships that floated off the Los Angeles County coastline. Although it was illegal to conduct a gambling operation in California, the state’s jurisdiction only extended three miles offshore.
Gambling Defined
Under California Penal Code 330 PC, it is illegal for anyone to deal, play, or carry out a prohibited game. There are many gambling-related games that are legally prohibited. Participating in any of these could easily result in an arrest, and up to six months behind bars. Some of the games made illegal under California laws include:
- Dozens of people were detained on Tuesday morning after Anaheim police raided an illegal gambling operation in a vacant storefront, authorities said. Officers served a search warrant on an.
- Illegal Gambling Operation Busted In Northridge NORTHRIDGE, CA — At least 12 people were taken into custody after a police raid on an illegal gambling ring in Northridge Thursday, according to Los.
- Roulette
- Twenty-one or blackjack
- Faro
- Monte
- Tan
While there are a large number of specific games that are outlawed as potential gambling games, any game could be considered illegal if it falls under one of the two prohibited game types. Those two include:
A banking game: Where the house or bank collects money from the losers and then uses that money to pay the winners.
A percentage game: Where the house or bank collects any portion of the bets for payment of hosting the game.
This means that even a game of Go Fish could be considered illegal if you are betting on, or collecting bets from, the game. The most important thing to consider when it comes to avoiding illegal gambling is whether any of the people participating, be they player or host, is losing or gaining money, goods, or property. If the answer is yes, then chances are high that the game is illegal.
Gambling in California
There are five scenarios in which gambling is legal in California.
Native casinos: Certain Tribes within California are given special permission to run their own casinos, where gambling is legal. That being said, there are still regulations around these casinos, so not every game or act is permitted.
Cardclubs: Are often mistaken for casinos, however, these clubs require that all players pay a fee before playing. Casinos are not pay to play, even if they require the purchasing of chips. Besides that, though, cardclubs are run largely the same way as casinos.
Charitable gambling: It may come as a shock, but there is such a thing as charitable gambling, and it is legal in California. Usually this takes the form of a bingo game, where all proceeds are given to a charity, instead of to the players or the house.
Parimutuel horse wagering: When it comes to parimutuel betting, all bets are pooled together, meaning that players are now betting against each other, instead of against the house. In cases of parimutuel gambling, the only context in which it is legal in is horse racing, where players place bets on which horse they think will win the race.
State lottery: Most states, even ones with strict gambling laws, have a lottery. This involves buying a ticket with selected numbers and receiving a cash prize if the correct numbers were selected.
When You are Convicted of Illegal Gambling
After being convicted of gambling, you can face up to six months in jail, as well as a $1,000 fine. While this may not seem like that harsh of a sentence (and it is one of the lightest penalties for gambling in the country), the real problem is when related charges are piled up. Every crime has a few others that overlap it in some way. This means that anyone charged with a crime will likely also be charged with at least one or two other crimes.
Gambling is a money-and-goods-based crime, meaning there are a lot of other, often white-collar, crimes that may overlap, depending on the specific charges. If you are facing an arrest for gambling, you may also be arrested for embezzlement, money laundering, and even theft. You could also be facing extra charges for prostitution-related crimes, or pimping and pandering, if the bets made involved sex work. Any of these crimes could easily add years behind bars to your gambling sentence.
That is why, if you are facing serious fraud or theft crimes related to gambling, you need to reach out to one of the best defense teams in Los Angeles. We at Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP have years of experiencing fighting for our clients to receive the lightest sentence as possible, or to have their charges dropped completely. As skilled criminal defense attorneys, we are more than capable of taking on your case, and providing you with the defense that you need. For top-notch legal aid, call Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP at (213) 688-0460 today.
Related Articles:
The owner of a multimillion-dollar mansion seized by police this summer for running an illegal gambling operation and for illegal possession of weapons was a guest at one of the cash-for-access fundraisers attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016.
Police have charged Wei Wei, 52, with a number of crimes, including operation of an illegal casino at his property in Markham, north of Toronto; illegal possession of weapons, and possession of proceeds of crime. York Regional Police made the details of the arrest public last week. The raid on the alleged operation in July was part of a larger crackdown on illegal gaming operations in the Greater Toronto Area, dubbed Project Endgame.
Multiple sources have confirmed to The Epoch Times that Wei Wei was one of the guests at a fundraising event the prime minister attended with wealthy members of the Chinese community in Toronto on May 19, 2016. Wei Wei is seen in a group photo with Trudeau at the event, as part of a series of photos of the fundraiser published by Chinese-language media in 2016.
The fundraiser drew strong criticism from the opposition due to the background of some of the guests in attendance. Then-interim Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose said Trudeau’s attendance at the event where “Chinese billionaires” paid for access to the prime minister “does not pass the smell test.”
One of the guests, Zhang Bin, is a billionaire who acts as an adviser to the Beijing regime. Zhang, a member of China’s 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, along with a partner, donated $1 million to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal Faculty of Law, which Pierre Trudeau graduated from, following the event, according to The Globe and Mail.
Another guest whose presence proved controversial for the Liberals was Shenglin Xian. At the time, Xian was awaiting final approval from federal bank regulators to open a bank in Canada. The Liberals have said his application wasn’t discussed at the event.
Elections Canada records show that an individual named Wei Wei, a resident of Markham, donated $551 to a regional Liberal Party association on May 16, 2016. Records also show that a Markham resident named Wei Wei donated $1,200 to a Liberal candidate in November 2014, and $205.68 to a regional Liberal Party association in December 2015.
The Liberal government introduced legislation to end cash-for-access fundraising in 2017 following the controversy.
The Prime Minister’s Office referred a request for comment to the Liberal Party. A spokesperson for the Liberal Party didn’t answer questions as to whether there were any interactions between Wei Wei and Trudeau at the event, but instead said the party is in compliance with all regulations for fundraising.
“No donations can be accepted from corporations, trade unions, or associations; individual contributions are strictly limited; and all contributions over $200 are publicly and proactively disclosed on the Elections Canada website both quarterly and annually,” Braeden Caley said in an email.
According to police, Wei Wei’s $9 million mansion in Markham was operated as a high-end illegal casino. In the July raid, police arrested 32 people and seized 11 firearms—including an AR-15 rifle—and ammunition, more than $1 million in cash, gaming machines and tables, and more than $1.5 million in alcohol.
The illegal operations included slot machines and a baccarat table with the maximum bet set at $20,000. The menu included an extensive choice of liquor as well as illegal shark fin.
Police raided two other properties in the greater Toronto area in July as part of investigations into illegal gambling operations. In total, around 30 people have been charged with more than 70 criminal offences as a result of the police operation.
“The money moving through these underground casinos leads to huge profits for criminals that fund other ventures such as prostitution and drug trafficking,” York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said in a statement.
Illegal Gambling In Los Angeles
“This illegal high-stakes gambling also leads to gun violence, armed robberies, kidnappings, extortion, and other serious violent offences within our community.”