Roulette broadcast live
Photo: AFP
Family suspected of running online casino
Three family members charged with taking global bets on roulette game broadcast from Israel
Twelve people were indicted Wednesday in the case of the 'Queen Mary' gambling network, which is suspected to have been active between the years 2001-2004.
The main suspects in the case are Yehuda Talis, a 67-year old resident of Ramat Hasharon, and his two children, Shir and Guy. They will be tried by Tel Aviv's District Court on suspicion that they operated the casino as part of a company under their ownership.
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Israeli brothers suspected of operating network of gambling websites using East European servers. Sites included sports betting, casino games with live dealers
According to the prosecution, the three used computers to run an international gambling network, which included online roulette broadcast live by satellite to homes all over the world.
The indictment says the roulette game actually took place in a Talis family-owned apartment on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, and that it was active 24 hours a day.
Gamblers were not aware that the broadcast was coming from Tel Aviv, a fact known only by the three family members and two other defendants, Avi Refaeli and Avi Gagin, the prosecution claims. Clients transferred bets through rechargeable smart cards, which were sold at internet cafes.
The company that provided the Talises with internet service, Shalmog, has also been indicted on suspicion that it created a special program allowing the family to track bets.
The charges against the defendants include money laundering, as the prosecution says it profited by around NIS 80 million ($21 million), out of which it declared only NIS 4 million (around $1 million) to the Tax Authority.
