California’s Lucky Lady Card Room was front for illegal sports betting operation

Yet another California gaming venue finds itself in trouble with the law after federal authorities charged the owner of San Diego’s Lucky Lady Casino & Card Room with running an illegal sports betting operation.

On Wednesday, a joint operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the San Diego Police Department resulted in 14 men being charged with racketeering, running an illegal gambling business and transmission of wagering information.

Among those charged was Stanley Samuel Penn, the Lucky Lady’s owner. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said the Lucky Lady was used as a legitimate front for the illegal credit betting operation, which was principally led by Sanders Bruce Segal.

The authorities began their investigation in 2014, ultimately concluding that “Segal’s “Lucky Lady Sports Book” connected bookies, sub-bookies and major betting whales with online sports betting sites based outside the United States. Some of the sites were owned and controlled by the defendants.