In the digital age, crimes and fraud are increasingly more difficult to complete than one might think. The digital footprint of transactions and surveillance in casinos along with increased measures for security such as AI and proactive monitoring, help protect such venues from criminal activities, including robbery, money-laundering or other criminal acts. Despite the innovative technology casinos use, some culprits still attempt to execute different crimes and this is precisely the case of one student in the United Kingdom.

As announced by Birmingham Live, a 22-year-old student from Greenwich, London, was recently sentenced after attempting to steal a hefty sum from a casino. Samuel Bob-Emmanuel admitted to fraud and was reportedly sentenced to a 12-month community order by the Birmingham Crown Court. The student stole some £24,000 ($29,000) from Grosvenor Casino, a location where he was a regular customer.

In light of the sentencing, Bob-Emmanuel is now facing 150 hours of unpaid work. The 22-year-old who admitted to fraud by false representation must also undergo 25 days of rehabilitation. According to Bob-Emmanuel’s defense, Mohammed Naser, the defendant decided to temporarily stop his university activities to “better equip himself” for the final year. Naser explained: “He has not sought to prevaricate or delay matters. He has not sought to conceal or dispose of evidence. Of course, the unsophisticated nature of the offense means it was always going to come back to him.”

An Unsophisticated Crime

The crime Bob-Emmanuel admitted to dates back to March 1 this year. Back then, the young man memorized a PIN code used by a supervisor at Grosvenor Casino’s venue on Hill Street in Birmingham. As a regular client, Bob-Emmanuel had an account with the casino. After memorizing the PIN, the 22-year-old returned to the casino the next day and visited its poker room which was unattended at the time.

He then attempted to transfer the five-figure sum to his account. Sadly, Bob-Emmanuel wasn’t able to get the money as TSB Bank had frozen the transaction. Once Bob-Emannuel completed the transaction, he fled the casino.

Recorder George Kelly explained that the unsophisticated crime was quickly resolved. Yet, it involved some degree of planning, he said. Employees of Grosvenor Casino didn’t take long to identify the missing funds. Then, they reviewed the CCTV footage and identified who was the wrongdoer.

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There were around 9,000 blocked attempts. The data covered the Ontario market, where online and retail sports betting gambling have been legal.

The province already has more than 40 operators that offer regulated betting products. GeoComply SVP of government & public affairs John Pappas spoke to Mark Keats from CDC Gaming Reports and confirmed the number, arguing that the company, which specializes in geolocation services, had been able to block 9,000 attempts to access gambling operators in Ontario from unauthorized parties.

In most cases, people try to use a Virtual Private Network or VPN to circumnavigate restrictions and access licensed entities in the province. Part of this is owing to the fact that even when sports gambling was not regulated, there were no significant attempts in the province geared towards restricting the offshore market or ensuring that a legal gambling age restriction is observed. However, things have changed with the Alcohol and Gaming Commissions of Ontario now keen to keep the industry clean.

Blocking Suspicious Transactions Is GeoComly’s Stomping Ground

“As part of the regulatory mandate, GeoComply is constantly combatting attempts from around the globe to access our customers’ platforms in Ontario,” Pappas explained. He also argued that it was normal to expect a surge of such illegal betting activity around the time of major events.  The illegal activity here had mostly to do with customers based in the United States trying to place a wager with a provincial operator in Ontario.

This surge in activity was based on the fact that the legal gambling age in the United States is 21 whereas in Ontario is only 19, Pappas added. However, the GeoComply representative argued that ensuring compliance with existing gambling laws and blocking unauthorized access was of the utmost importance to the company and its partners.

He used this example to highlight why having robust geolocation compliance in all regulated markets was crucial. GeoComply has been able to also block people from betting while outside the province, which is one of the regulatory prerequisites people must comply with.

Owning an account in Ontario is allowed even if you live outside the province, but in order to put a bet – online or in-person – you must be located inside Ontario. Pappas assured that GeoComply is aware of and able to step in cases where consumers were trying to breach the rules of the industry.

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