Federal prosecutors say a former minor league pitcher was the ringleader of an illegal sports betting operation in California that used former pro athletes as bookies and active players as clients
FILE - In this May 14, 2018 file photo, betting odds are displayed on a board in the sports book at a hotel casino in Las Vegas. A former minor league pitcher was the ringleader of an illegal sports betting operation in California that included current and former pro athletes, federal prosecutors said.
Court records offered no names of the players who worked for Nix or those who placed bets with his business, but they provide a glimpse of the kind of money being wagered, earned and lost. A Los Angeles check cashing business that has agreed to plead guilty to failing to prevent money laundering in the scheme cashed over $18 million in checks from two single bettors, prosecutors said.Sports betting is legal in 30 states, but not in California. However, voters will have a chance to legalize it at the polls in November.
His client list was created from contacts he had made in the sports world and included current and former pro athletes. The agents he hired helped expand that clientele. A sports broadcaster's account was reactivated in February 2019 after he told Nix he was refinancing his home mortgage to pay off his gambling debts.