The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council recently charged a Nolensville man with eight counts of identity theft. Bruce Orr, 32, faces the charges after an investigation into a large number of accounts fraudulently created on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The accounts were linked to a Nolensville address associated with Orr and he was indicted by the Williamson County Ground Jury on March 13.
The fraud investigation began in September 2022 at the request of 21st District Attorney General Kim Helper.
What Crime was Committed
Although the exact details of what Orr was doing have yet to be released, the most common form of sports betting fraud is what’s deemed as “bonus abuse”. This is when players open up multiple accounts with one or more online sportsbooks to take advantage of promos and bonuses. They will then do things like bet both sides of a wager to ensure a profit.
Orr is the second Tennessee resident recently charged with a sports betting crime, as a Lakeland man was indicted on federal charges as part of a nationwide illegal gambling ring. Gary Rapp, 44, was charged with 10 crimes in a 114-count indictment. The charges included tax evasion, money laundering, and conspiring to operate an illegal sports betting operation.
The Importance of Regulated, Legal Sports Betting
An unfortunate side effect of the US sports betting boom is it coincides with a rise in these types of incidents. This also shows why it’s incredibly important to only wager in states using legal online sportsbooks that have been approved and given a license to operate.
If Orr had been using stolen personal information to create the accounts, the victims have legal recourse they can take to protect themselves against the multitude of issues that accompany a stolen identity.
If you place wagers with an illegal sports betting ring like Rapp’s and aren’t getting paid out for bets you win, you can’t go to the authorities and file a report.
Even with offshore sportsbooks, customers have no protection against shady practices and there are no security standards. These platforms can choose to not honor payout requests, sell your information, or get hit by hackers and there are no entities to hold them responsible.
While those living in states without legal sports betting may find it enticing to go with an illegal or offshore sportsbook, it simply isn’t worth the risk.
Article contributed by Cody Kutzer.
