Nevada sports books investigated by gaming regulators

LAS VEGAS - State gaming regulators have begun a criminal investigation into phone betting systems offered by sports books.

The Gaming Control Board found out-of-state phone bets can be placed illegally with Nevada casinos, though no evidence of such betting was found, said Keith Copher, chief of the board's enforcement division.

Control board enforcement agents were able to make out-of-state wagers on all seven types of casino phone betting systems.

Gaming regulators used equipment that cost as little as a few thousand dollars to mask the origin of the calls, Copher said.

''We have a telephone wagering system that doesn't work,'' argued control board member Bobby Siller. ''We could just say 'We're going to stop telephone wagering.' But we don't want to do that.''

Phone betting from outside of Nevada is illegal under federal law. It is mainly used by illegal bookmakers, noted Siller, a former FBI special agent.

Regulators met with Nevada sports book directors to propose solutions.

Siller and Copher recommended a cap of $330 per sporting event on telephone wagers. There is no current limit, except those imposed by each sports book.

They also asked that sports books increase their efforts to prevent illegal wagering.

Establishing limits, Siller said, would eliminate the incentive for out-of-state bookmakers to buy technology that allows them to place phone bets in Nevada.

It would also force illegal bookmakers in Nevada to place their bets in person, making it easier for casino officials and law enforcement to identify them, he said.

''It's only the wise guys (illegal bookmakers) that are betting thousands of dollars,'' Siller explained.

He added that the division's ongoing criminal investigation revealed that several sports books have not enforced telephone system safeguards diligently.

For example, some betting systems are required to return phone calls to confirm the origin of each bet.

''There will probably be some industry people prosecuted,'' Copher warned, noting that his division will continue to test sports book enforcement efforts.