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These guys got balls or they are just crazy....

Print 23 Charged In Borgata Gambling Ring Bust
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) ― An illegal sports gambling ring run out of a high-stakes poker room in a posh Atlantic City casino was busted Wednesday and 23 people were charged, including four with alleged mob ties and six casino employees.

Since March 2006, the ring took in $22 million in bets on college and professional football and basketball in the poker room of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, said New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.

The off-the-books exchanges of cash and casino chips were only unraveled when an informant told authorities what to look for using the casino's eye-in-the-sky surveillance cameras, Milgram said.

The alleged ringleader of the operation, Andrew Micali, 32, of Ventnor, is a known associate of Philadelphia mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, according to a New Jersey law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the criminal complaints do not mention any reputed mob ties.

In addition, three associates of Micali were arrested on charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and loan-sharking: Vincent Procopio, 41, of Brigantine; Anthony Nicodemo, 36, and Michael Lancellotti, both of Philadelphia.

"They sought to escape detection by enlisting casino employees in their crimes," Milgram said. "I'm pleased to say they greatly underestimated our vigilance and determination to keep organized crime out of Atlantic City casinos."

Milgram said they followed the money in the case from the casino to so-called "wire rooms" in Philadelphia.

Most of the others were charged with promoting gambling or money laundering.

The ring was publicized mainly by word of mouth among illegal gamblers, who were advised who to see in the poker room to place their bets. Two wire rooms in Philadelphia were used to tally the bets and calculate winnings and payouts for the ring.

Authorities said the ring engaged in "massive money laundering" facilitated by casino employees who would not record certain exchanges of cash and gambling chips. This is a common method of money laundering at casinos called "chip washing," Milgram said.

"It involves taking cash, turning it into chips, 'washing' the chips by betting and then turning them in, and taking cash out," she said.

Losing bettors were forced to take out loans from the ring at more than 50 percent interest to cover their losses, authorities said.

In executing search warrants Wednesday, authorities seized more than $40,000 worth of cash and Borgata chips from a safe deposit box Micali maintained at the casino. The state also obtained a court warrant freezing Micali's bank account with more than $200,000 in it.

Authorities said the Borgata cooperated with the investigation, which state police called "Operation High Roller" and let investigators use casino surveillance video.

Borgata spokesman Rob Stillwell said the casino did nothing wrong and assisted in the sting that led to Wednesday's arrests.

Stillwell said that the ring involved "rogue employees" and the integrity of the casino's operations were never compromised -- claims which were confirmed by law enforcement officials Wednesday.

The casino employees charged included poker room supervisors, dealers and a bartender at the Borgata and a supervisor at the Tropicana Casino and Resort.

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming Corp. and MGM Mirage.

The state Casino Control Commission was expected to take disciplinary action against the casino workers who were arrested, commission spokesman Daniel Heneghan said.

"I'm certain that any Borgata employees that were arrested, the Division of Gaming Enforcement will file complaints to revoke their licenses," he said.

The four men with alleged mob ties, along with Borgata supervisor Joseph Wishnick, 42, of Brigantine, were taken into custody Wednesday. Bail was set at $100,000 for Micali and $50,000 for the others. Wishnick was in custody Wednesday at the Atlantic County Jail. It was not immediately clear whether any the others had posted bail or were waiting to be processed at the jail. None could be reached for comment by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The state Attorney General's Office said lawyers had not come forward for any of the 23 suspects.

If the charges are proven, the ring would be among the most serious mob operations under the roof of an Atlantic City casino since the city's first casino opened in 1978.

Fear of organized crime prompted New Jersey to institute tight controls when legal gambling began, but regulations have been loosened over the years.

The anxieties were expressed in a now-famous speech by then-Gov. Brendan T. Byrne when he signed the law authorizing casinos on June 2, 1977: "I've said it before and I will repeat it again to organized crime: Keep your filthy hands off Atlantic City. Keep the hell out of our state!"

This is the second high-profile sports betting charge in New Jersey in the last two years. In 2006, a state trooper, NHL hockey coach Rick Tocchet and a third man were charged with running a sports gambling ring. All later pleaded guilty in the case.