Five-State Sports Gambling Probe Nets 25 Arrests

Twenty five people in five states have been indicted in New York City on charges they operated an illegal sports betting business that took in $50 million in 18 months.

Authorities say the defendants include the manager of a legal sports book at a Nevada casino and three owners of the Pinnacle Sports gambling website.

Arrests took place Wednesday in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada and California. New York police led the investigation.

Queens prosecutors say gamblers placed bets over the phone and at least four websites. They say the conspirators tried to evade detection by processing the bets through offshore computer servers and using couriers to transport profits to and from Panama and Costa Rica.

Pinnacle Sports says none of its employees was arrested or charged and it expects no interruptions to its business.

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