Anchorage residents charged with running illegal lottery

Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004 | 9:12 a.m.

ANCHORAGE -- A federal grand jury has indicted 15 people for allegedly running an illegal lottery in stores throughout Anchorage.

Federal prosecutors say market and video store customers could bet on two- or three-digit numbers based on the California Daily Three evening drawing and the Thai Lottery.

The store owners kept 25 percent of the money from the day's bets, and were responsible for selling the numbers, collecting money and paying out winnings, according to the indictment.

The organizers would collect their 75 percent daily from each store, the indictment said.

Nine of the 15 were in federal custody after arrest warrants were executed Thursday by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Anchorage Police Department.

archive