Poker Pro Charged in Chicago-Area Gambling Case Fights Casino Ban

Posted on: May 29, 2026, 01:51h. 

Last updated on: May 29, 2026, 01:51h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Poker player charged in gambling case claims he was victim
  • Lawyers seek permission for Nguyen to resume poker career
  • Court filing identifies defendant as alleged victim of operation

A professional poker player embroiled in a sprawling Chicago-area illegal gambling case was neither a bookie nor an enforcer for the alleged operation, his attorneys say. Instead, they argue Andrew Nguyen was one of its victims, who just wants to play cards again.

Andrew Nguyen, Chicago gambling case, professional poker player, Gerodemos gambling organization, federal court
“Caesars Andrew” Nguyen has been identified as “Victim 3” by a new court filing – someone who was menaced by the group. He argues his ban on playing poker cuts off his livelihood. (Image: FBI)

In a filing to the U.S. District Court in Hammond, Ind., Thursday, lawyers for Nguyen, aka “Caesars Andrew,” asked the judge to lift a pretrial condition that bans him from gambling, both legally and illegally, and from visiting any place where gambling is offered. They argue the current terms of his release have cut off his livelihood as a poker player.

Gerodemos Organization

Nguyen was one of 22 people arrested in connection with what prosecutors are calling “the Gerodemos Gambling Organization,” a Chicago Outfit-linked gambling ring based out of restaurants in Northwest Indiana and suburban Chicago.

According to the indictment, prosecutors allege that James Gerodemos, known as “Jimmy the Greek,” and Dean Gialamas, known as “Dean Gem,” led the operation from about January 2021 through April 2026.

The business used websites including abcwagering.ag and gardencitybets.com, along with phones and text messages, to take wagers on sporting events, according to the indictment.

Nguyen is charged with operation of an illegal gambling business and aiding and abetting, as well as transmission-of-wagering-information. But his lawyers point out he was merely an “agent” for the operation – someone who would help connect gamblers to the group – while having no role as an owner, operator, bookmaker, or manager.

‘Victim 3 Revealed’

They also identify him for the first time as “Victim 3” in the original indictment – an individual who owed money and was menaced by the group.

The indictment alleges Nguyen owed Gerodemos a $7,500 sports betting debt, and for four months in 2024 allegedly received threatening text messages from the latter, including: “No response I take it that I’m not getting paid! … I’ll get it one way or another … No doubt about that … Watch.”

The charged offense did not occur in a casino. It did not involve poker. It did not involve any of the skills, relationships, or venues associated with Mr. Nguyen’s professional career,” his lawyers wrote. “The nexus between the prohibited activity and the alleged criminal conduct is simply non-existent.

“Forbidding Mr. Nguyen from entering a licensed card room is not rationally connected to preventing him from accessing illegal offshore sports-betting websites. It is an overreach,” they added.

Nguyen is asking the court that he be allowed to “do the one thing he has done lawfully for approximately fifteen years: play poker at licensed, regulated casinos and card rooms.”