Two men have been sentenced for running an illegal gambling den from an anonymous-looking unit on a Cardiff industrial estate, a court has heard. The unlicensed casino generated hundreds of thousands of pounds for Noor Rassam and Panayiotis Karayiannis, who spent the proceeds on a "lavish lifestyle" and overseas holidays.
Casino found in Splott industrial unit
Cardiff Crown Court heard that in February 2024, police officers from the southern Wales organised crime unit Tarian, along with officers from the Gambling Commission, His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and Cardiff Council's licensing department, executed a search warrant at a unit on an industrial estate in Splott following a tip-off. In an upstairs room, officers found a casino complete with six poker tables, a spinning prize wheel, seating areas, and fridges stocked with drinks and snacks for gamblers.
An office in the premises contained gambling paraphernalia including poker chips, tokens, and records detailing moneys paid and owed. There was also a cashier's window protected by Perspex with a small opening for financial transactions. Access to the gambling den was via a fire escape monitored by CCTV cameras controlled from the office.
Financial enquiries reveal significant profits
Following the discovery, officers executed search warrants at residential and business properties linked to Rassam and Karayiannis. The defendants were arrested, and officers seized cash, documentation, digital devices, and "high-value items". Subsequent financial enquiries established that the gambling operation was generating "significant sums of money" for the defendants, with Rassam receiving approximately £260,000 in third-party payments between August 2022 and February 2024, and Karayiannis receiving around £124,000 over the same period.
Analysis of seized phones revealed WhatsApp messages promoting both in-person and online poker games. The online games were hosted through a subscription-based poker application under the account name "Fish Tank Online", while the in-person events were initially advertised as "Ding Ding Poker" before being rebranded as "Fish Tank Poker Cardiff". The defendants profited by taking a commission from each poker hand - known within the industry as "the rake" - rather than by directly wagering against players.
Defendants sentenced
Rassam and Karayiannis denied any wrongdoing and the matter went to trial, but they changed their pleas on the first day of trial and pleaded guilty to possessing criminal property and transferring criminal property, both contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. With discounts for their guilty pleas, 29-year-old Rassam and 30-year-old Karayiannis, both of Cranbourne Way, Pontprennau, Cardiff, were each sentenced to three years in prison suspended for three years. An investigation will now be held into the defendants' finances under Proceeds of Crime Act powers.
Speaking after the sentencing, detective constable Charles Lan of Tarian said: "These two men operated an illegal gambling business for their own financial gain, generating substantial profits which were never declared for tax purposes and ultimately came at the expense of the wider public." He added that the enterprise funded a lavish lifestyle including foreign holidays, and that evidence showed they actively promoted their poker games to individuals involved in serious criminality, boasting about the presence of drug dealers and organised crime group members at their events. "By providing a venue for these individuals and profiting from their participation, they were helping to facilitate and fund further criminal activity," he said.
Lan said the harm caused by the operation should not be underestimated, noting that individuals lost significant sums of money, with some becoming indebted to the organisers. "Unlike legitimate gambling operators, there were no safeguards in place to identify or support vulnerable people, nor any measures to protect those experiencing gambling addiction," he said. He added: "This sentence sends a message that unlicensed gambling is not a victimless offence." He thanked partners, particularly the Gambling Commission, whose intelligence first brought the activity to their attention, as well as HMRC and Cardiff Council's licensing department.
Sue Young, executive director of operations at the Gambling Commission, said the commission would continue to take action against illegal gambling operations, adding: "The message is clear - if you run an illegal casino, there will be a tip off, you will be caught, and there will be significant consequences."
