Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

The son of a deceased West Virginia mobster pleaded guilty in federal court to playing a role in a multimillion-dollar bookmaker ring. Christopher Hankish, 44, of Scott Township, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business, federal prosecutors said. Hankish is the son of Paul Hankish, a Wheeling, W.Va., native who died in prison in 1998 while serving time for a racketeering and gambling conviction. Investigators with the Pennsylvania State Police and state Attorney General's Office said they came across Christopher Hankish while looking into gambling activity involving former video poker kingpin John Conley. Prosecutors said Hankish participated in a sports betting gambling business run by Conley. They said Hankish recruited bettors for Conley's organization, accepted bets on behalf of the organization and arranged for collecting debts. According to prosecutors, a wire tap by the state Attorney General's office and state police captured several telephone calls between Conley and Hankish in which they discussed various aspects of the gambling operation. Conley has not been charged, but was sentenced in May to four years in federal prison for violating his probation by placing sports bets over the phone last year. He had been released in January 2004 after serving nine years in prison on a gambling conviction.