Charles Oakley Arrested over Alleged Wager Fraud

Let’s be honest. The let-up in US legislation has encouraged quite a few people to venture out of their comfort zone and take sports betting a little more seriously. Not only that, but gambling has also had its own marked pick-up, too. Perhaps, in the general commotion some people expect that if they go grey, their misdeeds wouldn’t be noticed. However, this is not always true. Not in the case of former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley at least.

Mr Oakley in a Pickle

Charles Oakley has been one of the most prominent faces of the New York Knicks. An inspiration for generations past and present, Mr Oakley faces some accusations that imperil his legacy in its entirety.
According to casino regulators, Mr Oakley tried to cheat at a Las Vegas casino over a weekend. Mr Oakley was arrested on Sunday at the Cosmopolitan casino resort located in the famous Las Vegas Strip – host to many similar venues and multi-purpose facilities.
As the accusation stands, Mr Oakley had attempted to cheat during a game. Still, the accusations against him are still on a level of suspicion, although police officers had to be summoned. The news was however made official by the Nevada Gaming Control Board which issued an official statement confirming the news.
As the statement read, Mr Oakley allegedly added or detracted from the sum of a wager he had a stake after the results had been known to result in his apprehension. What follows is the quite standard procedure. He was taken to a precinct and later released.
However, regulators still refuse to release details about what actually happened at the venue. The Cosmopolitan also hurried up to distance themselves from the case, saying that while they were not sure what happened, they were convinced that it was not their desire to spoil nor comment on customers’ experience on the premises.

What Can Follow Next?

Even though little has been released to the public in terms of what Mr Oakley’s transgression actually is, if found guilty, Mr Oakley could potentially serve between 1 and 6 years in prison, although this is a highly unlikely scenario, as it’s dubious that he was trying to cheat the casino out of substantial sums.
A more likely outcome is the $10,000-fine which Mr Oakley may be asked to pay instead. Adam Solinger, Mr Oakley’s attorney commented that he was not involved with the case at the time being, which indicates that the accusations against the former are not as serious as they may seem.
Mr Solinger added that while gambling fraud is punishable, it rarely results in felony charges, simply because the nature of the fraud would have to be “more sophisticated” in order to merit such treatment.
A much more likely scenario, as we have suggested, and as confirmed by Mr Solinger is that a mediator will step in who will then allow Mr Oakley to settle matters peacefully and pay a fine if Cosmopolitan indeed demands that, which again is rather unlikely all things considered.