Nevada Drops Charges Against ‘Wild Bill’ Roberts Over Alleged $8M Gambling Operation

A Las Vegas handicapper who was accused of running an $8 million gambling operation after his ex-girlfriend tipped off authorities has seen charges against him dropped by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.  

William West Roberts, 57, who goes by “Wild Bill,” was arrested in April and charged with felony operating a gaming establishment without a valid license, receiving compensation for bets without a gaming license, and a gross misdemeanor count of receiving unlawful wagers from a person in Nevada.

He was accused of taking bets through a Costa Rica-based website and commingling the proceeds with revenues from a gym he owns in northwest Las Vegas and his gambling picks and handicapping business, Wild Bill Consulting Inc.

‘Witch Hunt’

It’s not clear why the Control Board withdrew the charges, although the move comes as Clark County prosecutors appear to be pursuing the case separately.

The investigation, which Roberts described this week as a “witch hunt,” was instigated following a tip from the mother of Roberts’ child, with whom he is engaged in a custody battle, according to court documents.

“The FBI said there is no meat on this bone. We don’t see anything in this case at all,” Roberts told The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday, August 24. “They want nothing to do with it. The Gaming Control Board obviously kept it for some strange reason.”

$8M Through Casinos

However, the Review-Journal reported that Roberts has been served a Marcum notice by Clark County prosecutors, indicating that they intend to seek a grand jury indictment.

The Control Board previously alleged casino records showed he laid off roughly $8 million in bets at Nevada sportsbooks, which investigators claimed was an effort to hedge the risk from his alleged illegal betting operation.

Between 2022 and 2026, Roberts was named in 334 currency transaction reports (CTRs), which financial institutions and casinos are required to file for cash transactions exceeding $10,000, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, an undercover investigator was able to place 23 wagers with Roberts through an offshore platform based in Costa Rica, according to court filings.

Roberts told the Review-Journal that he simply uses offshore websites to keep track of fluctuations in betting lines and that the money he received from the informant was for sports wagering tips.