Poker pro Damien LeForbes has pled guilty to illegal bookmaking and money laundering at a casino in Las Vegas. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

LeForbes pleads guilty

Professional poker player Damien LeForbes has pled guilty in federal court to running an illegal sports betting operation in California and Nevada.

LeForbes, who appeared on the eighth season of High Stakes Poker in 2021, also entered a guilty plea of money laundering in both California and at a Las Vegas casino. The casino was named “Casino A” in court documents.

a fine of either $500,000 or double the gross profit or loss of the business

LeForbes could now face up to 15 years in prison, as well as a fine of either $500,000 or double the gross profit or loss of the business over the period, whichever is greater.

Illegal sportsbook took millions

The plea agreement, which was signed by LeForbes in June and filed in court on Monday, states that LeForbes operated the sportsbook from around January 2021 until the end of December.

millions of wagers from bettors around California and Nevada

The poker pro operated an affiliate scheme, bringing agents on board to source new players in exchange for a percentage of their losses. Over a period of almost three years, the operation took in millions of wagers from bettors around California and Nevada.

LeForbes moved money through a shell company named DJL, as well as cash, cryptocurrencies, and other methods such as PayPal.

Trouble for Casino A?

A casino known only as “Casino A” appears to have been crucial to the operation. LeForbes hired two hosts from the casino to work as agents, executed more than $17m in checks there, and also presented $2.8m in cash, wagering over $148m at the venue in total.

LeForbes owed $12.3m to the casino, and had also written them a bad check for $2.5m

The identity of the casino is not known, although LeForbes has had dealings in the past with Resorts World Las Vegas. An article in the Nevada Current in May 2024 stated that LeForbes owed $12.3m to the casino, and had also written them a bad check for $2.5m.

Among other major players who lost significant amounts of money at the same time was Matt Bowyer, who was also under investigation for illegal bookmaking and entered a guilty plea in a California court several weeks ago. He is tied to the betting scandal surrouding the interpreter of baseball star Shohei Ohtani.

Resorts World is also under investigation itself, with the Nevada Gaming Control Board filing a complaint earlier this month alleging the casino was allowing illegal bookmakers to launder money. Bowyer was mentioned in the complaint as one of four bookmakers, along with Edwin Ting, Chad Iwamoto, and a fourth unnamed individual, which could be LeForbes.