Two men who operated an unlicensed poker business from an industrial estate in Cardiff have received three-year prison sentences suspended for three years following a joint investigation involving police, the Gambling Commission and other authorities.
Noor Rassam, 29, from Pentwyn, and Panayiotis Karayiannis, 30, from Pontprennau, ran the illegal gambling operation from an upstairs room at a unit in Splott between August 2022 and February 2024.
Investigators found that the premises had been developed into a commercial-style poker venue containing six poker tables, a spinning prize wheel, seating areas and refrigerators stocked with food and drinks. CCTV was used to monitor the building, while entry was through a fire exit.
An office inside the venue contained poker chips, tokens and records showing money paid and owed. Authorities also discovered a cashier’s window protected by Perspex and designed to handle financial transactions.
The case began after information about the illegal gambling venue was received by the Gambling Commission and passed to Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit for southern Wales.
In February 2024, Tarian officers carried out warrants at the Splott premises and at residential and business addresses connected to Rassam and Karayiannis. The operation was supported by the Gambling Commission, HM Revenue & Customs and Cardiff Council’s Licensing Department.
Both men were arrested, while officers seized cash, documents, digital devices and other valuable items.
Evidence recovered from mobile phones showed that the business promoted both physical and online poker games through WhatsApp. Its online activity operated through a subscription-based poker application under the name Fish Tank Online. The live games were initially advertised as Ding Ding Poker before being renamed Fish Tank Poker Cardiff.
Financial enquiries showed that approximately £260,000 in third-party payments entered an account associated with Rassam during the period of operation. Around £124,000 was received by Karayiannis, with numerous transactions carrying references to poker.
Investigators also established that the defendants generated revenue by taking a commission, or rake, from individual poker hands rather than gambling directly against customers.
Rassam and Karayiannis changed their pleas to guilty on the first day of their trial. Both admitted possessing criminal property and transferring criminal property in breach of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Cardiff Crown Court sentenced each man on 2 October to three years in prison, suspended for three years. A separate Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled for 9 April 2027 and will consider the financial consequences of the offences.
Tarian said its investigation also uncovered evidence that the games were marketed to people associated with serious criminal activity. Investigators found references to drug dealers and organised crime group members attending the poker events.
Police also identified evidence that some participants lost substantial amounts and became indebted to the organisers. Unlike licensed gambling businesses, the operation did not provide safeguards intended to identify vulnerable customers or support people experiencing gambling-related harm.
Authorities said the proceeds helped finance foreign holidays and other high-value spending, while profits from the gambling activity had not been declared for tax purposes.
The Gambling Commission said the case demonstrated the consequences of operating unlicensed gambling businesses in Great Britain and confirmed it would continue working with law-enforcement and local authorities against illegal operators.