Prosecutors have indicted 22 individuals over an alleged illegal gambling business that operated out of Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville, Indiana.
James Gerodemos, aka Jimmy the Greek, and Dean Gialamas are accused of being the leaders of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization.
According to the indictment, the men ran illegal gambling services through websites Garden City Bets and ABC Wagering. Both sites remain live, with the former offering an online casino, a sportsbook, and a racebook.
Websites Use Official Logos to Appear Legitimate
ABC Wagering features the English Premier League (EPL) logo to appear more legitimate. It also features NBA, NHL, NCAA, and NFL trademarks.
Prosecutors say the Super Bowl generated substantial revenue for the operation, with the widespread sale of line pool betting cards ranging from $500 to $25,000 per line. This generated between $700,000 to $900,000 at the showpiece event each year.
While largely functioning like legitimate gambling platforms, prosecutors say the Gerodemos Gambling Organization provided gamblers with lines of credit to gamble.
Despite the indictments, the websites appear to be updating, with Garden City Bets and ABC Wagering featuring upcoming sports events on their landing pages.
Criminal Network Threatened Gamblers
Agents and bookies then collected the funds from losing bets and were awarded commissions of 25% to 50% on the debt they successfully collected. The remaining proceeds were passed up the illegal network’s chain to Gerodemos and Gialamas.
The network used employees from both Gino’s Steakhouse and Paragon restaurant in Indiana to facilitate the collection and distribution of gambling revenue.
The indictment reveals numerous threatening messages sent by Gerodemos to gamblers over unpaid debts. In some cases, he threatened the victims’ families.
One victim responded to the threats by telling Gerodemos he was filing a police report.
“You guys keep t[h]reating me, Again and again, I’m paying what I have to pay, To james, I file a police report on all the [threats] that you guys making, To me no problem, When you involve families is another situation, You guys didn’t give me any other option, To file a police report,” he wrote in a text message, as revealed in the indictment.
Gerodemos has been charged with 17 counts, including extortion, money laundering, and the operation of an illegal gambling business.
Undercover Agents Trailed By Accomplices
Police launched an investigation into the Gerodemos Gambling Organization, and undercover officers began monitoring its activities.
Earlier this month, one of Gerogemos’s accomplices, Michael Campbell, then engaged in covert countersurveillance activities, according to the indictment.
Campbell was observed “following the undercover agent and driving erratically at speeds in excess of 100 mph.”
The investigation revealed that Gerodemos had been operating the illegal gambling business since January 2021. The 62-year-old previously served six months in prison after being found in possession of over 16,000 pounds of illegal explosives.
Indiana Clamps Down on Illegal Gambling
In addition to the investigation into Gerodemos’ illegal gambling activities, Indiana has also been clamping down on sweepstakes casinos.
The state passed legislation earlier this year to explicitly ban the platforms. Under the bill, the Indiana Gaming Commission has the authority to impose civil penalties of up to $100,000 on operators or individuals who knowingly offer sweepstakes games to Indiana residents, including out-of-state platforms that do business with players located in the state.
In Gerodemos’ case, with the charges of extortion and money laundering, he faces a considerably harsher penalty.
