Pro poker player Damien LeForbes pleads guilty to illegal sports betting scheme
I like how they always call someone a pro poker player because he had a total of around $50K in tournament cashes. He wagered $148 million at one casino. LeForbes could be a lifetime loser at poker. Why not call him a recreational poker player
The operator of an illegal sports betting company in California and Nevada agreed to a plea agreement Monday.
Damien LeForbes, a professional poker player, pled guilty to operating an illegal sportsbook and money laundering.
He will face up to 15 years in prison, up to three years on supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain/loss resulting from the illegal business, whichever is greater.
Over a nearly three-year period, LeForbes’ sports betting business took millions in illegal wagers across the two states, with at least part of the business relying heavily on a Las Vegas casino.
LeForbes set up his illegal sportsbook no later than January 2021 and continued the business through last December 2023. He took bets in Los Angeles County and Orange County in California, and in Clark County, Nevada.
LeForbes employed agents who would bring in new bettors in exchange for a portion of their gambling losses. They would use a website or call center to create accounts where bets could be tracked.
LeForbes also recruited casino hosts to work as agents, including two from an unidentified casino that referred at least two new bettors to the business.
The illegal operation took payments in checks and wires in the name of a shell company called DJL, as well as through cryptocurrency, cash and payment processors like PayPal. LeForbes is listed as the president of DJL on his LinkedIn profile.
The casino where LeForbes hired hosts from, known as Casino A in the court filings, played a crucial role in the scheme.
LeForbes executed at least 17 personal checks at the casino between October 2021 and December 2023 totaling at least $9.1 million, including a $1 million check in April 2023.
He also presented at least $2.8 million in cash to Casino A between January 2022 and December 2023. He would accept payment in casino chips, noting that Casino A was the most important since those chips were “so versatile for me.”
In total, LeForbes wagered more than $148 million at Casino A.
13 Replies
It’s incredible how much illegal gambling is allowed on Facebook. Apparently this guy should have aimed a little smaller and he would have been fine.
guy seemed as dumb as a rock. For him to create such a large criminal enterprise is more than I would've expected.
Should the thread be change to "guy who likes to wager with cards" as I'm sure my cleaners who've never played poker are up more at poker than this guy.
It makes a good headline. Some people who make money by shady means lose some of it at poker.
guy seemed as dumb as a rock. For him to create such a large criminal enterprise is more than I would've expected.
Should the thread be change to "guy who likes to wager with cards" as I'm sure my cleaners who've never played poker are up more at poker than this guy.
Wasn’t he the pit degen claiming he was EV+ at craps because he could make identical dice throws.
I like how they always call someone a pro poker player because he had a total of around $50K in tournament cashes. He wagered $148 million at one casino. LeForbes could be a lifetime loser at poker. Why not call him a recreational poker player
What does tournament cashes have to do with being a professional poker player? If people looked at my hendon mob they'd say the time thing about me, but I have over 2 million in cashes online throughout the years. One would get me called a rec and the other a professional, yet I'm neither.
His mistake was getting mixed up in the Shohei Ohtani scandal. It's wild how many people are getting taken down over that.
Yea haha the entire Orange County sports betting underworld is being taken down while shohei brings his collie to the park to throw out the first pitch for bobble head day. Classic!
We all know he filed as “pro poker player” to wash his illegal income. The poker table was also a place for him to get new customers
I like how they always call someone a pro poker player because he had a total of around $50K in tournament cashes. He wagered $148 million at one casino. LeForbes could be a lifetime loser at poker. Why not call him a recreational poker player
The operator of an illegal sports betting company in California and Nevada agreed to a plea agreement Monday.
Damien LeForbes, a professional poker player, pled guilty to operating an illegal sportsbook and money laundering.
He will face up to 15 years in pri
I renege this leforbes guy pulling a hit and run on HCLs million dollar game. He was sitting seat 9. Seems like it's a girl scout badge for every scumbag to appear on HCL.
People get less time in prison for murder or stealing that much (Elizabeth Holmes)
