Alleged West Belco smack ring laundering through the casino

Tylersmahem you should report them. The closet legitamate “beno” people get to play money is monopoly.

I probably should Dexi, but I figure karma will catch up with them…it always does.

No not that ignorant (guess it could be a form of denial). Just took offense to stumped up benefits. If you feed yourself, then nothing will be left from a benefit. This may, for some people, lead to some rorting just to survive. If I had a point, which I may have not, it is if your on a benefit and inside a club gambling, then your living beyond your means. Tylersmahem you should report them. The closet legitamate “beno” people get to play money is monopoly.

Genie said :

Only positive is that now at least we can now legally have private home games.

Um … I have private home games all the time. Have done for ages. Who cares whether its legal or not, the cops are hardly gonna beat down the door and stop it.

When was it illegal?

Just for the record stumped up benefits provide only the barest food and accommodation. If people are gambling this money ,then they are going hungry or as in this case have another income.

I happen to know 2 people who are on “disability” beno’s, make cash money on the side, and their beno money is what they call “play money” for the pokies. Surely you are not ignorant enough to believe that some people don’t rort the system?

Tylersmayhem..”stumped up benefits going straight into Clubs arms”

Just for the record stumped up benefits provide only the barest food and accommodation. If people are gambling this money ,then they are going hungry or as in this case have another income.

ep Tyler – anyone can walk into a club and put 50 bucks into a machine, take a few sips on their beer then hit collect. Voila! instant clean money.

In that case I am surprised, but stand corrected. I guess it shows you how much money I rise through pokies. Personally I dream of a day when pokies are non-existent. That would also equal plenty less of government stumped up benefits going straight into Clubs arms.

I understand the problem they are trying to overcome and why they might think this is a good idea. I’m questioning it’s effectiveness.

Will the guy who tells the judge he gambled his dole cheques into a six or seven figure sum have any better chances than the guy who waves his hands and tells the judge that “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for”?

@Frontrow… If they are caught without the drugs, but large sums of cash – they need to prove where it came from. Esp those unemployed or on the dole. Hence they can say “I won it a the Casino, or pulled it out of the Pokies” They have proof to back it up from survelliance video’s in the casino, to signed payout slips from the local clubs and pubs.
However caught with enough drugs to look like their a seller… well then they have no hope.

as the only casino in australia not permitted to have pokies it is no wonder that they are scrambling to get permission for them….as for club poker games …..what are the odds that all resistance would sudddenly dissapear if the cas was allowed pokies??

In a dream world the Casino would stop pouring millions of dollars into lawyers pockets by fighting the Government to get Pokies. That was the only reason Canberra was allowed a Casino in the first place, under the conditions of NO POKIES EVER ! Also in a dream world the Casino would stop dragging their heels and allow us to run club poker games in the ACT. But alas no they are stubborn a-holes……. Only positive is that now at least we can now legally have private home games.

Gambling seems to go hand in hand with drug dealing. There are lots of examples.

p1 said :

From what I understand, as long as gambling is hobby and not your primary source of income, gambling winnings are tax-free.

Can anyone tell me the point of this activity? Have they exploited some loophole that will likely result in any less jail time because the cash is “clean”? The police have obviously seen through the ruse (although the 40g of heroin was a bit of a clue).

Does claiming you put down $5 and let your winnings ride through 14 blackjacks in a row create reasonable doubt if you are accused of aquiring the cash through more nefarious means?

Yep Tyler – anyone can walk into a club and put 50 bucks into a machine, take a few sips on their beer then hit collect. Voila! instant clean money.

I know this because I was interviewed twice by Police on that exact situation. Thankfully I wasn’t the subject of their enquiries – just the witness. However in both cases the person fed about 500 bucks in, played for a short time and then hit collect.

You’ll find that they will hit the bigger clubs where feeding $500 in in one go won’t be as readily noticed.

tylersmayhem said :

actually, Pokies in the ACT return something like 90% of money put in them (can’t remember exactly, but I think it was written on the machines last I looked, years ago).

The stickers will still be there. You’ll find that it’s even a slightly higher return than that. I suppose if one was committed enough, it could work. Those returns of 90 odd% are an average over a period of time.

and…you can always put a few hundred bucks in a machine…..then hit collect without even playing….and get a slip saying you just “won” that amount of money…..

This actually won’t work Willo. When money is put in the machines, and cashed out, there are individual counters that the pokie attendant will take in to account when writing a receipt. Every dollar and credit must be accounted for. They only write receipts for the ACTUAL winnings given by the machine. Therefore simply syphoning cash through the money slot cannot work. Good if it did though…for the crims out there.

umm…yes it does….no slip i have ever been given says what i won and what i put in….only the amount cashed out and put into my hand…..

actually, Pokies in the ACT return something like 90% of money put in them (can’t remember exactly, but I think it was written on the machines last I looked, years ago).

The stickers will still be there. You’ll find that it’s even a slightly higher return than that. I suppose if one was committed enough, it could work. Those returns of 90 odd% are an average over a period of time.

and…you can always put a few hundred bucks in a machine…..then hit collect without even playing….and get a slip saying you just “won” that amount of money…..

This actually won’t work Willo. When money is put in the machines, and cashed out, there are individual counters that the pokie attendant will take in to account when writing a receipt. Every dollar and credit must be accounted for. They only write receipts for the ACTUAL winnings given by the machine. Therefore simply syphoning cash through the money slot cannot work. Good if it did though…for the crims out there.

In the Hobart casino, “groups” play the train feature when the jackpot goes high. They put up $100 000 and take over all the machines. A casino worker told me its the only way to beat the pokies. I wondered where the money came from. I believe they have had some big wins.

and…you can always put a few hundred bucks in a machine…..then hit collect without even playing….and get a slip saying you just “won” that amount of money…..

Actually, Pokies in the ACT return something like 90% of money put in them (can’t remember exactly, but I think it was written on the machines last I looked, years ago). So that’s a pretty good return if you then have “clean” money.

What are the tax laws as relates to people who frequently gamble though?

Not just the casino….pokies in our clubs are used for money laundering also.

Hardly the most efficient or sure way to launder money me-thinks?!

Sure, will do.

If that was going real well I’d expect to see an end to their frantic lobbying for gaming machines and their astonishing resistance to club poker games.

So because they’re lobbying against their competition and trying to increase revenue, they’re not profitable? They’re businesses, and they’re obligated to maximise returns to shareholders. They can’t go “Well, I reckon we’re profitable enough, so let’s just cruise, shall we?”

Might as well claim that the entertainment industry is doing it tough because it wants to close the analogue hole, control playback at the device level, portray ad-skippers as thieves or make fallacious claims that file sharing costs them billions.

johnboy said :

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

I thought it was all the people walking in legally, handing over their money legally and losing it in games of chance legally conducted in the house’s favour.

If that was going real well I’d expect to see an end to their frantic lobbying for gaming machines and their astonishing resistance to club poker games.

as the only casino in australia not permitted to have pokies it is no wonder that they are scrambling to get permission for them….as for club poker games …..what are the odds that all resistance would sudddenly dissapear if the cas was allowed pokies??

Are we going to lay charges of surviving on the proceeds of crime at the feet of other industries typically targeted by launderers? Clubs? Horse racing? Real estate agents?

Perhaps not surviving on, but every little bit helps.

The good thing about putting your dirty cash through the pokies is that for most payouts there is a paper based record. In the club I worked at all payouts over $30 went on the payout sheets. So even relatively small amounts could be cleaned.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

I thought it was all the people walking in legally, handing over their money legally and losing it in games of chance legally conducted in the house’s favour.

If that was going real well I’d expect to see an end to their frantic lobbying for gaming machines and their astonishing resistance to club poker games.

it’s quicker in the casino though (although more details are taken I grant you)

If you ever wondered how the casino survives

I thought it was all the people walking in legally, handing over their money legally and losing it in games of chance legally conducted in the house’s favour. Are we going to lay charges of surviving on the proceeds of crime at the feet of other industries typically targeted by launderers? Clubs? Horse racing? Real estate agents?

casino is prob makin naff all out of the deal anyway….these grubs would go in and purchase a shitload of chips….hang around playing a few tables for awhile then cash in and leave…..making there dirty money legitimate…..can’t see them leaving a very high % of there money behind to be honest…….goes on all around australia…..

Not just the casino….pokies in our clubs are used for money laundering also.

I’m getting the feeling that people expect the casino to be held accountable to a degree. I hope I’m wrong here.

There is that which we suspect, and that which we know.

It’s always good when something moves from one to the other.