Argentina: money laundering network at Las Vegas casinos busted
The Argentine Federal Justice dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to money laundering, currency smuggling, and transnational financial maneuvers linked to Las Vegas casinos. The operation was carried out simultaneously in Mar del Plata, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the province of Buenos Aires, and the province of Santa Fe, uncovering a scheme that used land-based gambling in Nevada as a cover to reinsert illicit funds into the formal Argentine circuit.
The gang recruited Argentine citizens with valid visas for the United States and induced them to open bank accounts abroad. These accounts were then used to manage casino credits, transfer funds to tax havens, and evade international financial controls. The structure was headed by a man and his father, supported by recruiters and collaborators who received commissions close to $7,000 for each person incorporated into the system.
During the procedures, 23 people were identified as alleged members of the organization, in addition to 48 other individuals linked to the plot. Authorities seized more than $500,000, 47 million Argentine pesos, almost 8,000 euros, and smaller amounts in pounds and Brazilian reals. Also seized were 53 cell phones, 18 notebooks, 11 tablets, eight desktop computers, 11 vehicles, 13 passports, 113 bank cards, casino documentation, and more than 80 pieces of gold and silver jewelry.
The case file describes a sophisticated modus operandi. Before traveling, some of the victims were trained in spaces simulating casinos, with Baccarat and Blackjack tables, where they received game manuals. When they made profits in Nevada, a large part of the money remained in the hands of the organization, which then re-entered it into the country through investments in the real estate, gastronomic, and financial sectors. When they lost, the debts remained in the name of the recruited bettors, which led to millionaire lawsuits in the United States against Argentine citizens.
Among the people involved are well-known names from the sports and media environment, as stated in the investigation: former soccer players Sergio Berti, José Turu Flores, Sergio Zárate, and Norberto Ortega Sánchez, as well as journalist Enrique Quique Felman, who was detained for 13 days in Miami months ago. The Federal Investigation Department of the Argentine Federal Police, under the Ministry of Security, carried out the raids after an investigation initiated in January 2026.
The case once again highlights the risk of using land-based gambling as a vehicle for money laundering in transnational operations. For Latin America, where land-based casinos and online platforms coexist with unequal regulatory frameworks, the episode reinforces the need to improve cooperation among regulators, financial supervisors, and migratory authorities. Countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Peru are closely observing these types of cases to strengthen their own anti-money laundering protocols in the gambling industry.
Tags: Argentina, Las Vegas, Las Vegas casinos, Las Vegas casino scams, money laundering