High Profile Names of Denver Sports Betting Clients Will Not Be Released

Jeffrey Dorschner, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Colorado, has confirmed that the names of those appearing on a client list of a multi-million dollar Denver area sports betting ring will not be made public.

The gambling ring solicited bets in more than a half-dozen exclusive country clubs and other well known business establishments using accomplices and an off-shore website to take bets.  Many of those customers have feared damage to their reputations and, even worse, the possibility of prosecution, though Colorado is one of two states that does not explicitly make sports betting either a felony or misdemeanor. 

The alleged ring leader Kerwin Sande plead guilty to money laundering and running the illegal gambling operation.  He is scheduled for sentencing in a U.S. District Court on Nov. 13.  Sande operated his Play Fast Sports from Costa Rica but resided primarily in the Denver area.

Sande’s business was massive as illustrated by the Denver Post:

He took bets on professional and college sports over the phone and on his website. Occasionally, bettors would pay with goods such as gold coins and, in one instance, a motorcycle.

Bettors always received their winnings in cash payments. Several people told authorities that Sande would mail them golf magazines with $100 bills tucked in between the pages.

Sande also owned several luxury sports cars — including a BMW and Chevrolet Corvette — that had customized, hidden lock boxes, which he used to transport large sums of cash. The cars will not be returned to him, according to the plea agreement.

One bettor told investigators that Sande once said he would accept $4 million to $7 million of wages each weekend during football season.

A different bettor reported losing $2 million to $5 million to Sande in two years.

$500,000 of assets seized during the investigation will be returned to Sande as part of the plea agreement.