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LAS VEGAS, Nev (Gambling911.com) - A judge said he would issue an arrest warrant for Las Vegas sports betting figure David Oancea on Thursday after Oancea failed to appear in court. Oancea is better known in the sports betting community as "Vegas Dave".
Oancea was supposed to be taken into custody on Thursday but was a "no show" in court.
The arrest warrants stems from a long-running civil case involving Cabo Platinum, a luxury vacation-rental company in Mexico.
Oancea was hit with a $30.2 million judgment in 2025 after litigation involving Cabo Platinum. The underlying dispute included allegations that Oancea interfered with or canceled confirmed vacation-rental bookings involving his properties and made damaging statements about the company. Oancea appealed the judgment.
The situation subsequently became a fight over collecting the judgment and Oancea's compliance with court orders.
A judge ordered Oancea to turn over assets that reportedly included Mexican real estate, about $375,000 in cryptocurrency, a Richard Mille watch and Hermès Birkin bags. The court later concluded he had failed to comply with orders and held him in contempt.
Last month, District Judge Tara Clark Newberry gave him a choice: turn over the required assets by August 5 or report for incarceration. The judge found that Oancea's noncompliance was willful and rejected his explanations concerning his ability to comply. His lawyers have challenged the contempt proceedings.
Cabo Platinum is also attempting to enforce the $30.2 million Nevada judgment in Mexico. A civil court in Los Cabos accepted proceedings seeking recognition and enforcement of the Nevada judgment, potentially putting Mexican real estate within reach of collection efforts.
In 2017, "Vegas Dave" was federally indicted over allegations involving misuse of Social Security numbers in connection with sportsbook transactions.
After nearly two years of litigation, Oancea reached a deal in January 2019.
The major development was that the 19 felony charges went away. Instead, he pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing a violation of record-keeping and procedures.
In May 2019, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey sentenced him to:
- 3 years probation
- 150 hours of community service
- Gambling treatment/counseling
- A three-year ban from Las Vegas sportsbooks
- No prison time
- Forfeiture of approximately $550,000 in connection with the case.
So he went from facing 19 federal felony counts to finishing the case with zero felony convictions and no incarceration.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
