Ex-Palms Sportsbook Employee Charged in Bet-Rigging Gets Probation

LAS VEGAS — (Associated Press) - A former Las Vegas casino worker was sentenced in federal court to probation and must pay restitution for his role in what authorities say was an $800,000 betting fraud scheme.

Matthew Kidle, 31, apologized before sentencing Monday by U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Kidle was the last of three former Palms Casino Resort race and sports book employees convicted and sentenced in the case stemming from an investigation of illegal horse race betting between 2006 and 2007 at the Palms. Palms officials cooperated in both investigations.

The probe uncovered an illegal gambling operation run by brothers Michael Jelinsky and Jeffrey Jelinsky, who each pleaded guilty in a separate case in 2009 to illegal bookmaking and other charges in in Las Vegas.

Michael Jelinsky was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, and Jeffrey Jelinsky received 21 months. Together, they were ordered to forfeit nearly $5 million to the government.

Kidle, who moved to Las Vegas from Michigan in 2006, pleaded guilty in February 2013 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The judge on Monday ordered him to spend one of his years on probation under electronic home confinement.

Former sports book supervisor Michael Albanese pleaded guilty in October 2013 to the fraud conspiracy charge and was sentenced in July to one year in federal prison and three years' supervised release.

Former sports book ticket writer Kassie Baker pleaded guilty in March 2013 to the same charge was sentenced in May to three years' probation.

A New Jersey gambler, Charles Pecchio, also pleaded guilty last April to the fraud conspiracy charge, and was sentenced in September to three years' probation. He was ordered to spend 10 months of that time on home confinement.

Albanese and the other former Palms employees were accused of using their positions to accept invalid wagers on horse races from the Jelinskys, Pecchio and others. Authorities said winning bets were paid and losing bets were refunded.

The defendants have been ordered to share payment of $232,231 in restitution.

The Palms has since brought in Cantor Gaming to run its race and sports book operations.