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A councilman for New York’s Prospect Park has been indicted on 18 charges related to an illegal gambling ring.
Council President Anand Shah has been indicted on 18 charges related to allegedly participating in an illegal gambling ring, including several counts of money laundering and racketeering in the first degree and second degree charges of official misconduct, extortion, and third-degree tampering with public records. Readwrite has contacted the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office to confirm whether the indictment charges are correct.
Shah is about to end his third term as a Democrat councilman, while currently seeking support for another three-year council term ahead of the general election on November 4. According to his attorney, Michael DeMarco, Shah intends to defend his innocence.
Diagram released by investigators showing the hierarchy of suspects in an organized crime and illegal gambling ring tied to a New York councilman indicted on 18 charges. Credit: New Jersey Attorney General’s Office
The councilman is scheduled to appear in front of state Superior Court Judge Ralph Amirata in Morristown on October 24 for his post-indictment arraignment, where he is expected to formally enter his plea. After being arrested back in April, Shah was held at the Morris County jail for seven weeks before being granted release by a judge.
The councilman’s alleged involvement in the illegal gambling ring
The alleged illegal gambling ring is said to have hosted unlicensed poker games and used an overseas sportsbook to place unlicensed sports bets. These activities are alleged to have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars, laundered through shell companies.
Allegations have been brought against 42 defendants, including Shah and members of the Lucchese crime family. A 78-page indictment document outlines the complete charges against all the co-defendants.

Today we’ve charged 39 people, including a sitting councilman. The message is clear – we are bringing every resource to bear to crack down on violent criminals, including organized crime.
If you break the law, if you hurt New Jersey, you will be brought to justice. pic.twitter.com/AgjjlEOQgY
— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) April 11, 2025

In terms of what punishment Shah could face if found guilty, the second-degree misconduct charge along could result in a 10-year prison sentence, while others could lead to substantial fines.
Other allegations levelled against Shah in the document include: claiming that the councilman “threatened to inflict bodily injury” on “multiple victims” owed money from the gambling activities; allegedly falsifying a financial disclosure statement; and not paying gross income taxes, a third-degree crime, for six straight years between April 2019 and 2025.
In July, Shah wrote on Facebook that he had been released from Morris County Jail on May 30, following his detention since April 9, 2025. His Attorney Michael P. DeMarco, Esq. said in a statement at the time: “Mr. Shah is deeply grateful for the Appellate Division’s decision and eagerly anticipates his day in court, where he will vigorously defend against the State’s charges and clear his previously unblemished name and reputation.”
Featured image: Anand Shah via Facebook
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The gambling group behind William Hill is planning to shut around one in ten of its betting shops across the UK in 2026.
Evoke plc, which bought William Hill for 32 billion in 2022, is reportedly planning to close roughly one in ten of the chain’s betting shops in the new year. Even though the company saw a 3% rise in revenue in the first half of this year, it is facing heavy debts of £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) against a market value of roughly £210 million ($280 million), while also preparing for expected tax rises following the Autumn Budget.
The exact number of stores set to close has not yet been confirmed, but The Times reports that one source claimed 120 of William Hill’s roughly 1,300 locations will be closed for good, while another put the number closer to 200. If the latter is true, that would result in a loss of around 1,500 jobs.
William Hill and beyond its betting shops
The news comes at a troubled moment for the UK gambling industry, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves expected to increase taxes in the Autumn Budget, following major pressure from MPs. For evoke plc in particular, the company’s share price has fallen by almost 30% over the past 12 months, while falling more than 83% over the past five years. Much of the debt noted above came about from the purchase of William Hill in 2022.
The exact number of closures and the extent of action taken by evoke plc will seemingly depend on Reeves’ budget, due to be announced on November 26. A spokesman for evoke told The Times that the company was “continuously reviewing and adapting our shop portfolio to ensure it aligns with our long-term strategy for sustainable, profitable growth,” while evaluating different scenarios ahead of the budget announcement.
“As a regulated and licensed UK operator, we are also mindful of potential tax increases in the forthcoming budget on top of the rising costs,” said the spokesperson. “As part of our ongoing planning, we are assessing the potential impact of different tax scenarios on our UK operations. This includes the difficult but necessary consideration for further shop closures.”
ReadWrite has contacted the press office at evoke plc for further comment.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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California tribes have been blocked from suing cardrooms over exclusive rights to run such events in the state in the latest courtroom step.
The tribes in California have faced obstacle after obstacle in trying to block the cardrooms industry across the state. The tribal groups claim that they should be able to press litigation challenging games offered at cardrooms, arguing that they should have exclusive rights.
While the motion made it to court, Sacramento State Superior Court Judge Lauri A. Damrell ruled that the bill the tribes used to bring their lawsuit into court was preempted by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), leaving her “bound by law”.
“The court is mindful that previous efforts to resolve this longstanding dispute, whether through regulatory action, legislation, ballot initiatives, or litigation, have been unavailing,” Damrell stated in her ruling. She went on to “recognize the genuine desire, shared by many stakeholders, including the California Legislature, to reach the merits and achieve a final resolution.”
The California Gaming Association released this statement via Munger, Tolles & Olson: “Cardrooms for many decades have proudly operated lawful games with full transparency and stringent oversight by the office of the Attorney General of the State of California and the California Gambling Control Commission.
“We are encouraged by today’s decision. Our member cardrooms will continue to support good jobs, vital public services, and local economies across California while upholding the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and compliance.”
What are cardrooms?
Cardrooms refer to Vegas-style gambling rooms, often set aside for private games attached to wider gambling or poker establishments. They can be either standalone businesses licensed for card games or parts of larger businesses that are used for private, offshoot games.
The California tribes argue that it was established by vote in California that they have exclusive rights to host table games. They claim that this income is protected as an avenue for revenue to support their historically disenfranchised communities.
Featured image: Pexels
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