Canada busts Hells Angels/Mafia-led online sports betting ring

The Canadian province of Ontario has busted a major illegal online gambling operation with links to the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.

On Thursday, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) revealed details of a multi-jurisdictional takedown of a “sophisticated” illegal offline and online gambling ring involving the Hells Angels. The OPP laid a combined 228 charges against 28 suspects following a probe it called Project Hobart.

Project Hobart got underway in January 2018 following an “escalation in violence” between rival gangs in Ontario and Quebec. Michel Deabaitu-Schulde, a Hells Angel member associated with the gambling operation, was murdered this March.

The “lucrative online and traditional gaming enterprise involving members of known organized crime groups” revolved around a number of password-protected online sportsbooks bearing the names The Ultimate Sportsbook, Titan Sportsbook, Paytowin Sportsbook, Privada Sportsbook and Players Sportsbook.