Former US-facing online sportsbook 5Dimes has reached a financial settlement with the US Department of Justice ahead of a plan to pursue sports betting licenses in the regulated US market.

On Wednesday, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced that it had reached a settlement with 5D Holdings Ltd – the parent company of Costa Rica-based online sportsbook 5Dimes – and Laura Varela, the widow of 5Dimes founder William Sean ‘Tony’ Creighton, who was murdered in Costa Rica in 2018 in an apparent botched kidnapping attempt.

The settlement involves 5Dimes forfeiting $46.8m in illegal gambling proceeds derived primarily from US bettors. This sum includes roughly $3.4m in assets seized during the 2016 probe by Homeland Security Investigation into 5Dimes’ use of Amazon gift cards to help US bettors fund their online betting accounts.

Another $26m of this sum will come from 5Dimes and Varela agreeing to “help in the collection and forfeiture of additional assets.” Another $2m comes from funds seized by Costa Rican law enforcement, while the final $15m will come from 5Dimes and Varlea agreeing to “pay and consent to the forfeiture” of additional proceeds derived from the site’s escapades.