by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor
The crackdown on poker gambling has extended much further than internet poker rooms and domains, as many Toronto locals saw in the latest police raid. According to CTV Toronto, police obtained search warrants for Nuttz and the Pertutti Bar, and following the search, confiscated tables, chips, cards, other equipment and cash.
Seven individuals were charged with keeping a common gaming house, and fifty-six others were charged with having been found in a common gaming house.
The raid was led by the organized crime section’s illegal gambling unit, as part of a larger investigation throughout southern Ontario from Ottawa to Windsor, said a police spokesperson.
“The unit is responsible for province-wide illegal gambling investigations pertaining to Part VII of the Criminal Code within the province of Ontario, with an emphasis on organized crime,” said a spokesperson.
According to Detective Emilio DiPoce, these particular owners turned in quite the profit from their gambling operations, earning upwards of CDN $1.5 million per year.
“It’s astronomical how much money they make,” said DiPoce. “Anybody who deals in drugs has got to have their head read, when the gambling is so easy for them.” He also noted that since the money was not declared for a 16 percent tax rate, it had doubled its worth.
This was certainly not the first illegal gambling operation to be raided lately. According to DiPoce, gaming clubs are “popping up all over the place,” and it is estimated that these operations will continue to increase due to a growing love for poker – and the media encouragement through television coverage and advertising.
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