I removed photo on my own, no one asked me. wil.
Might as well add the story - Walters was found not guilty later after this article appeared.
COLUMN: John L. Smith
Odds seem to favor Walters
You won't find it on the board in any Las Vegas sports book, but every hunch player and handicapper in the valley will have an opinion about the outcome of the felony charges that are about to face gambler and golf course developer Billy Walters.
The odds of his conviction are bound to vary widely. A few will favor the state attorney general's office. Most, knowing Walters' reputation as a hugely successful high roller, wouldn't dream of betting against their boy Billy.
The charges, now being heard by a grand jury, are technical violations of the state's monetary instruments statutes and stem from an investigation into Walters' lucrative sports betting business.
Long before he became known as the developer of golf courses such as Desert Pines and Stallion Mountain, years before he emerged as one of the biggest political and charitable contributors in the state, Walters was known widely for his big plays whether betting sports, playing cards, measuring a roulette wheel or swinging a golf club.
As a leader of the Computer Group, Walters gained national attention -- and scrutiny from the FBI -- for his group's successful seasons betting on NFL games. After several years of investigation, a federal indictment of the group on gambling charges resulted in a mass acquittal of the defendants. It was also a major embarrassment to the FBI, which perhaps coincidentally has shown little appetite for prosecuting illegal gambling and bookmaking cases since then.
In December 1996, local police tried their luck when they exercised a search warrant on behalf of New York law enforcement in connection with a large East Coast bookmaking operation. They seized Walters' accounts at Las Vegas sports books and piled up $2.8 million in cash. The New Yorkers suspected Walters' group was involved in bookmaking, but the facts showed otherwise. Like legions of other Americans, Walters was betting with illegal bookmakers.
Although gambling across state lines has been controversial over the years, it is so commonplace that authorities -- on the rare occasions they choose to prosecute a case -- almost always charge the bookmakers instead of the players.
The last time I can remember the feds taking on gamblers is the Computer Group debacle.
Walters made no secret of his betting activities. In fact, in my conversations with him he often expressed pride in his success. He is, after all, a Las Vegas gambler at the top of his game.
But the game will soon shift to court.
After having his case dismissed twice on technicalities by District Judge Donald Mosley, Walters has received word that he is the target of yet another plan to indict by Chief Deputy Attorney General David Thompson.
Barring a last-minute change, Walters, Logandale computer programmer Daniel Pray, ex-Metro cop Jimmie "Arky" Hanley and bookmaking retired schoolteacher John Tognino in a few days will be greeted with word they have been indicted by a grand jury on a series of money transaction charges linked to Walters' multimillion-dollar sports betting business.
It's not bookmaking. Nor is it betting, per se. It's the movement and storage of the proceeds from his sports betting operation.
With 11 counts in all, the paper crime allegations are a novel way of going after a gambler. Thompson, who finds himself being vilified on several fronts ranging from the Walters investigation to the case of casino slot cheat Ron Harris and the wrongful termination litigation of former attorney general's office investigator Ron Anzalone, will have his hands full in the gambling case.
Why?
It's not that proving the facts of the case will be difficult. Sure enough, Walters set up his operation, bet successfully against bookmakers and stored some of the cash in casino lock boxes. Scores of other players do likewise.
The trouble Thompson will have, I suspect, will be in convincing a jury that it should care one wit about that activity.
To my knowledge, Walters pays his taxes. This isn't an IRS issue.
Last I checked, sports betting was a religion in Las Vegas. It's something the state promotes and legalized long ago.
Picking a jury from a community that revels in the sports betting subculture won't be easy. Finding one willing to convict will be even more difficult.
Undaunted, the game is afoot and the state marches on toward a third indictment.
But you won't find a gambler in Las Vegas who understands why.
wil.
[This message was edited by wilheim on October 25, 2003 at 09:23 PM.]
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