This time of year brings with it the biggest sporting event in America: the Super Bowl. And as most in Kalamazoo already know, Super Sunday is one of the biggest days of the year for sports gambling. For years, sports handicappers have used the big game as a way to entice countless people across the country to put their kids’ college funds up against outlandish odds, all in hopes of getting that big pay day. Yet it’s important to remember that such transactions are only allowed through licensed gambling brokers in those states which allow such betting. Those looking to make a few bucks on the side by running their own little sports gambling ring without a license and/or in states that don’t allow it risk facing severe criminal penalties.

An Adrian man and a handful of his associates will watch this year’s Super Bowl with the specter of felony gambling and conspiracy charges hanging over them. All have been charged as a result of a two-year criminal investigation into the gambling enterprise the man allegedly ran through his flooring business in Tecumseh. If convicted, the individual prison terms for those involved could range from 10 to 20 years.

Many may allegedly choose to engage in such activity without knowing of the consequences that an association with such an enterprise may bring. Others may simply feel that they’re entitled to take and make such bets given that it’s legal to do so in other parts of the country. Whatever their motives are, one thing seems certain: being associated with or arrested for operating such an enterprise is no laughing matter. Those facing such charges may wish to put their money on the skills of a criminal defense attorney helping them secure an acceptable outcome to such a case.

Source: Ionia Sentinel-Standard “Sports gambling suspects arraigned on felony counts” Dennis Pelham, Jan. 29, 2014