Two men have been sentenced for their involvement in an unlicensed gambling den on an industrial estate in Cardiff.
Noor Rassam, 29, and Panayiotis Karayiannis, 30, both from Pontprennau, Cardiff, operated illegal poker games from an upstairs room in an industrial unit in Splott between August 2022 and February 2024.
The room had been fitted out with six poker tables, a large prize wheel, seating areas, and fridges stocked with drinks and snacks.
On 2 October, the pair appeared at Cardiff Crown Court for possessing and transferring criminal funds obtained by running the den and received a suspended sentence. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing has been set for April next year.
The illegal poker games were available to join both in-person and online and were promoted through WhatsApp messages, according to Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) for southern Wales.
The unit said organisers actively promoted the illegal poker games to people involved in serious crime, including drug dealers and organised crime groups, helping to facilitate further criminal activity.
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 later being rebranded as Fish Tank Poker Cardiff.
The industrial unit was accessed through a fire exit and monitored by CCTV cameras controlled by Rassam and Karayiannis.
Inside the building there was an office containing gambling paraphernalia, including poker chips, tokens and records detailing money paid and owed. The room also featured a cashier’s window protected by Perspex, with a small opening for financial transactions.
Investigators found that Rassam received approximately £260,000 in third-party payments while the venue was operating, while Karayiannis received around £124,000. Both accounts showed numerous transactions referencing “poker.”
