Feds Reportedly Seize Millions in Cash, Assets From Gambler’s Florida Home
Posted on: July 22, 2021, 11:19h.
Last updated on: July 22, 2021, 03:17h.
Law enforcement agents have issued details about a raid on the home of high-profile sports gambler Clarence “Gary” Austin in Plantation, Fla. Reports state that police seized almost $4.3 million in cash, 61 gold bars, five luxury cars, and a Miami Heat championship ring.
Austin is pictured with his daughter (right) on her wedding day in 2018. Austin’s Florida mansion was recently raided. (Image: La Nación)
The value of the gold bars and upscale cars taken from the house was not immediately known. The cars include two Mercedes Benzes, a Lamborghini, a Porsche Cayenne, and a Land Rover Range Rover, the report said.
Austin is the owner and operator of the Costa Rica-based Tradewinds gaming site, according to the Florida report. It has been in operation since 1998. Austin and Calvin Ayre, the Canadian billionaire, were reported as among the founders of sportsbook businesses in Costa Rica, according to The Costa Rica Star.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case again Austin, but prosecutors argue that he illegally operates the Tradewind sites.
Austin’s illegal Internet gambling enterprise has produced in excess of $34 million in illegal proceeds during its operation,” according to documents filed in federal court.
Austin also owns residences in the Hollywood and Weston communities in Florida.
Case Developing
As of Thursday, no criminal charges were filed as a result of the federal raid in April of Austin’s home.
But the Sun-Sentinel quotes a federal court document that Austin set up “an intricate domestic and international money laundering organization and methods to surreptitiously conduct monetary transactions with the bookmakers and bettors located in the US in order to ultimately receive and utilize the illicit earnings.”
The money was kept in “numerous domestic and offshore corporations, business entities, and trusts,” the report said.
It appears the case is being developed in Texas federal court, even though Austin’s home is in Florida.
The Legend of Gary Austin
Austin rose to fame in the 70s. First known as a full-time sports better, he was later given a television show on the young ESPN television network. He was said to bet $30 million a year on football during this time, according to Yahoo News.
After his television show was canceled in 1981, Austin opened a Las Vegas sportsbook across from Caesar’s Palace. It became one of the most popular sportsbooks on the Strip. Allegedly, there were no betting limits at the book, and players could wager as much on a game as they wanted.
Problems arose for Austin in 1985 after a loss on a World Series bet. Some theorized the bet bankrupted Austin. His sportsbook closed that November.
When bettors arrived at the sportsbook to collect winnings, they found a note on the door saying the sportsbook was permanently closed due to an armed robbery the day before. The note also allegedly stated no more winning tickets could be cashed by the book.
The incident created a sort of myth around Austin, with some theorizing the robbery was a scam. Austin disappeared from the Vegas scene after that.
He later married Costa Rican supermodel Lynda Diaz in 2002. The couple reportedly lived in an $8 million dollar mansion overlooking Costa Rica’s most well-known golf course until their divorce.
In recent years, Austin has been photographed often by Costa Rican paparazzi. He was featured on a Costa Rican television show, shown below.
Lawyers Quiet on Case
When reached for comment, Austin’s attorney, Howard Schumacher, told the Sun-Sentinel on Wednesday it was “too early to say at this point” if charges are forthcoming. He also declined to comment about the case. Schumacher specializes in criminal law and is associated with the Florida-based Meltzer & Bell law firm.
Casino.org reached out to Schumacher on Thursday. He did not immediately respond. Casino.org also reached out to the US Attorney’s Office in South Florida for comment or further information. There was no immediate response.
Last Comments ( 4 )
BTW, my prior comment was separated by paragraphs. For some reason it didn't post that way. Sorry about that.
I lost money at Gary Austin's and remember the situation extremely well. It was a wise guy hangout. Tons of characters, including the legendary Montana Mel. Donnie Bader has already posted a comment. He was the sidekick for many years to Lee Pete on the famous Stardust Line sports handicapping radio program. There was also a Friday night radio show hosted from the Gary Austin's racebook. Late on a Friday afternoon I wagered on a Sixers game at Gary Austin's. I had several college football tickets for the next day, wagered at Austin's early in the week. The Sixers bet won. I walked past Austin's that Friday night and could have cashed it. They were still open, due to the radio program. I saw the lights on. It was my standard $220 wager, so $420 due. I had no urgency to cash the ticket so I continued walking on the Strip. The following afternoon I was sweating college football at famed Little Caesar's casino, which was taking the biggest action in town under Gene Mayday. In mid afternoon some guy blurted out, "No wonder Austin's didn't open today. Look at all the games he got middled on." I was shocked. What do you mean Austin's didn't open today? I heard the gist of the story and immediately walked to Austin's. There was a paper note taped to the door, saying closed due to robbery. Everybody knew that was outright crap. I had walked past Austin's the prior night, not long before the robbery supposedly happened. Austin was a player. He was more concerned with his own wagers than how his business was doing. I'd see him at other sportsbooks in late afternoon instead of minding his own shop. Just weeks earlier there were rumors that Austin was going bad. He had a young brunette girlfriend always tagging along with him. Next thing you know she's writing tickets. As Donnie Bader emphasized, there were ticket writing shenanigans in that era. Only Caesar's Palace on the Strip had a computerized system and printed tickets. Everything else was hand written. Certain ticket writers would stray from the current number and not by a little bit, depending on who was making the wager. I had two ticket writers at Gary Austin's who would always give me the best number that ever existed on that game. They'd refer to their sheet with all the line changes. I never paid them to do it or asked them to do it. I was bewildered the first time it happened. Later I found out it happened because I had given them winners on the USFL. Yeah, I was dominating the USFL. And the creative numbers were happening at countless more joints than Gary Austin's. During the 1984 NBA Finals I was at Stardust, standing in line to bet the first game between Lakers and Celtics. Two 40ish guys were immediately in front of me. One said, "Lakers +6, that sounds great, doesn't it?" Meanwhile the number was 4. I explained to them it opened 6 but now was 4. They looked at me silently and dismissively, as in...don't bother us kid. I heard them wager on the Lakers. I'm tall and looked over their shoulder. They got +6. I made the same wager. My ticket said +4. That was Las Vegas in that era. I realize this is lengthy. I won three of the college football wagers at Austin's. I might still have those tickets in a box somewhere. Faded to basically not readable, the last I looked. There were rumors the influential guys were paid, the guys Austin was worried about. The rest of us were told at one point that we'd receive pennies on the dollar. Never happened. That situation dramatically changed sportsbook realities. Not only were handwritten tickets done away with, but casinos and independent joints were required to have large amounts set aside in escrow. The following variable is seldom mentioned in regard to this incident: Gary Austin had very generous future book odds, especially on certain public teams like the Cubs, etc. He did that intentionally. It wasn't merely phone account money he was gambling with. Those generous future book odds gave him considerably greater Buy Now and Pay Later flexibility than the legitimate outfits. Once the Cardinals lost he couldn't Pay Now, and had no obligation or class to Pay Later.
I lost $84 when he faked being robbed and stiffed the bettors. But it wasn't the World Series that broke him - sharper guys than his were writing tickets there and they robbed him blind. They were writing tickets after games started and this moron didn't catch on.
The story circulating around Las Vegas was that "Certain" people with bent noses got pay before he skipped town.