Poker Writer
Gambling website Ace23 has become the focus of an FBI investigation into a gambling enterprise tied to a family in South Florida. The website is a Costa Rica-based offshore gambling site, but is allegedly controlled by a family living in South Florida.
It has received a cease-and-desist letter from Michigan in the past for operating without authorization in the state. The Ace23 website claims to be regulated in Costa Rica. The Michigan Gaming Board described the issues with the Ace23 gambling operation:
An extensive investigation has revealed the website enables account holders, who are considered ‘agents’ to establish bookmaking operations using different ‘skins’ (designs) and web pages, whereby the agents/bookies can accept wagers and make payouts to players on those webpages.
It’s a pretty standard setup for offshore betting entities operating stateside. The operation allegedly accepted gamblers’ credit and was a “large-scale operation” moving tens of thousands of dollars at a time.
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The FBI Eyes the Federico Family
The family at the center of the FBI probe is the Federico family. Authorities have used search warrants to seize phones and computers from the Federico families’ businesses and residences.
The family has roots in Italy with the father of the family coming to the U.S. through Brooklyn straight from Italy. With roots in Albany, N.Y. , the three sons of the family now own six barber shops in the Tallahassee area of Florida and in South Florida near Naples.
The barber shops are just one part of the families’ various businesses, which include sports card shops and marijuana dispensaries around Tallahassee.
Even if the FBI investigation results in the successful prosecution of the Federicos and/or associates, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the operation. In some cases, local operations have been sold to other groups, who simply continue to run the same illegal gambling sites. That game of whack-a-mole makes things difficult on law enforcement.
Ace23 vs A23 Poker
Ace23 Florida gambling is not to be confused with A23 Poker, which was one of India’s leading online gaming platforms.
India banned online poker as part of sweeping legislative action last year. A23 led the industry’s resistance in court, charging that the government acted unconstitutionally. No update has emerged in the past eight months or so.
A23 provided legal online poker in India under the prior framework. It still appears operational with a free product, though its business model has necessarily changed.
“In light of the regulatory changes, cash games are no longer available on A23,” its website reads.
Image credit: Daniel Piraino/Flickr (license)
