The Arizona Department of Gaming has been raiding sweepstakes cafes since 2012, but the subscription casinos are something new.
Two North Phoenix women have been arrested for an illegal gambling operation, according to local police. The two women involved in the illegal gambling business were 32-year old Destiny Monique Ojeda and 44-year old Charece Yvonne Brown.
The two were arrested at their respective homes on February 22. Police planned the raids simultaneously, then charged them with multiple illegal gambling-related charges.
6-Week Undercover Investigation
Phoenix police say they began an undercover operation of the alleged gambling ring on January 1st. The operation appears to have been run out of CJ’s Little Bit of Everything, which is located near 35th Avenue and Thunderbird Road in North Phoenix.
Undercover police officers witnessed customers playing casino games at computer stations. The computer were opened on illegal gaming websites.
Online Gambling by Subscription
The websites described allow play based upon subscriptions. Brick-and-mortar business owners, who act as the subscribers, receive a percentage of the profits off the players’ gambling losses.
After several weeks of observation, police report that the illegal gaming business moved in early February to a second location near 12th Avenue and Dunlap Road. Both of the women charged in the case were observed running operations at both locations.
Undercover Police Observations of Crime
Undercover police claim they saw Destiny Ojeda unlocking the door and allowing customers to enter the gambling business. The officers say they saw a second person, Charece Bryant, working at the facility.
The police investigation involved more than on-site infiltrations. Authorities followed the money and found that the businesses were in one of the women’s names. Electrical power accounts for the buildings were held in the name of Charece Bryant.
Previous Phoenix Illegal Gambling Raids
This is the second major illegal gambling operation busted in the Phoenix area in the past few months, and the third to have been busted over the past 18 months. None of the various illegal gambling rings appear to have been related.
The casino-style gaming offered at the North Phoenix businesses received little description, so it is unknown what games drew customers. Players presumably would have been able to gamble at home on unlicensed offshore websites, but preferred to gamble at a private place of business. That indicates players either did not have the privacy they would want at home, or else they could not afford computers to support their gaming habits.
Phoenix Land-Based Casinos
Arizona has legal casinos in the area, which makes the appearance of illegal gaming enclaves all the more inexplicable. Ultimately, players may prefer to go to a neighborhood illegal casino where they can play at online casinos. The ability to do so away from scrutiny of a spouse or loved one likely is a key factor.
Police did not give descriptions of how much evidence, equipment, or cash was seized, so it is unknown how big the alleged gaming operation was. Given the sparse details, it is likely the business Ojeda and Bryant are alleged to have led is smaller than the previous gambling rings in the area. Those operations involved millions of dollars collected, multiple business fronts, and investigations which took over a year.
