Five online sportsbooks run by Ontario Hells Angels busted

If you've been betting on any of the following sportsbooks, you can kiss your money goodbye:

Ultimate Sports Book, Titan Sports Book, PlaytoWin Sports Book, Privada Sports Book, Players Sports Book.

However, if you're not from southwest Ontario, Canada, you probably haven't heard of any of these.

These were books run by the Ontario Hells Angels, and were done via the bookie/agent model, where you bet through an online site (one of the five above), but the deposits and payouts are settled weekly, and handled by an agent of the owner. I believe one of them is still up -- playtowin.ag.

28 people were arrested in this bust.

Here's an article describing it: https://canoe.com/news/local-news/op...1-8d88f1719819

This was apparently a big operation, netting $131 million over 5 years.

Former London, Ontario Hells Angels president Robert Barletta was arrested for this. He had been arrested for involvement in the "Platinum Sports Book" from 2008-2013. However, he escaped conviction of those charges, and was known around southwest Ontario for his ability to maintain a clean record despite repeated arrests for major criminal offenses.

The article I linked above also claims that this gambling ring has some links to a Mafia family in Ontario, as well.

VICE did an article in 2013 related to the busts of the Platinum Sports Book. The article describes in detail how the entire thing worked, and how the busts came down at an invitation-only Superbowl party for its customers: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/3...ports-gambling

There are no allegations of scamming or cheating customers here. However, the investigation spawned because of violence apparently tied to the gambling operation.

Michael Deabaitua-Schulde was murdered in March 2019 as he left a gym in Mississauga, Ontario, and police believe the murder had to do with the operation in some way.

The operation was based out of London, Ontario. London has a population of about 400,000, and is the first decent-sized city when traveling east from Detroit towards Toronto. It is 80 miles west of Hamilton, 120 miles southwest of Toronto, and 120 miles northeast of Detroit.