Philadelphia Daily News (KRT) via NewsEdge Corporation
Feb. 25--AS CASINOS GO, this one was pretty slick.
It advertised on the Internet, exhorting gamblers to "save yourself the trip to Atlantic City." It catered to bachelor's parties and private bashes. It offered weary bettors a lounge where they could catch their second wind while unwinding on comfortable sofas facing a big-screen TV.
But it was all illegal.
Operating in a dusty warehouse in Port Richmond, the Philadelphia Players Club officially went out of business Thursday night, when police raided the casino, arrested five employees and hauled off a truckload of poker tables and other gaming gear. Authorities anticipate arresting at least four more alleged employees.
Detectives in the Police Department's vice unit learned of the alleged illegal "mini casino" in October, after irked citizens tipped off City Councilman Frank DiCicco's office, said Lt. Charles Green, commander of the vice unit.
The club was barely a secret, advertising its services online. The facility, on Castor Avenue near Coral Street, had no sign outside. But fluorescent-red footsteps led to its entrance, where customers were greeted by a bouncer wielding a metal detector and a sign forbidding weapons, drugs and underage patrons, Green said.
Undercover cops infiltrated the club in November, buddying up with unsuspecting employees as they built their case, Green said.
The illicit casino's sophistication impressed even Green, who has been on numerous vice raids throughout the city.
Surveillance cameras mounted on the warehouse outside monitored visitors' comings and goings, while a computer system inside tracked gamblers' activities and finances, Green said. An automated teller machine was available for gamblers needing cash, while bored bettors could regroup while playing pool or sipping suds ("house rules" allowed one six-pack per gambler) in the lounge, Green added.
Dealers deposited bettors' cash into holes in nine gaming tables, with managers periodically whisking the loot away to stash in safes out of sight, Green added.
"It was a pretty elaborate, well-run operation," Green said.
Sgt. Joe Lanciano, a vice cop for 14 years, said, "You always have people playing card games, but I've never seen anything this big."
At a press conference at the vice unit's Frankford Arsenal office yesterday, Green and other vice officers displayed spoils seized during their raid - row after row of colored gaming chips, nine gaming tables, a poker machine, $5,000 in cash, cell phones and other gaming goods.
Investigators suspect they would have confiscated more cash if they'd raided this weekend. A Texas Hold 'Em tournament was scheduled for last night with a $250 fee for players to get into the game, Green said.
Authorities suspect the illegal casino had been operating for many months before they learned of its existence.
Detectives haven't detected any mob involvement, Green said.
The city's Department of Licenses and Inspections shuttered the club yesterday, declaring it a public nuisance. The property, bought for $325,000 in 2004, is owned by Tillman Real Estate Associates of Bryn Mawr, records show. That company couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.
Arrested were Jon Johannsen, 31, of North Wales; Brett Millman, 43, of Conshohocken; Michael Desiderio, 34, of South Philadelphia; William Holsworth, 27, of Delran, N.J.; and Milton Martelack, 35, of Holmesburg.
Johannsen was identified as a casino manager. Martelack was the doorman, and the three others were dealers, Green said.
None had criminal records and no known experience with legitimate casinos, said Sgt. Lanciano. All were in police custody yesterday, facing misdemeanor gambling charges.
Three of them also had "day jobs" - Johannsen and Desiderio told police they were in the computer field, and Holsworth said he was a salesman.
About 25 gamblers in the warehouse when police raided were questioned and released after being cleared, Green added. Placing bets in Pennsylvania is legal, but it's illegal to run a for-profit gambling operation.
"This [raid and arrests] is sending a strong message to the community that gambling in this form is illegal," said Capt. Benjamin Naish, a police spokesman.
<<Philadelphia Daily News (KRT) -- 02/27/06>>
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