Cardiff Illegal Poker Operators Handed Suspended Prison Sentences

Two men who ran an illegal poker operation from an industrial estate in Cardiff have been handed three-year suspended prison sentences following an investigation involving the UK Gambling Commission and regional police.

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Noor Rassam, 29, from Pentwyn, and Panayiotis Karayiannis, 30, from Pontprennau, operated the unlicensed games between August 2022 and February 2024 from an upstairs room at a unit in Splott.

What investigators found was considerably more developed than an occasional private poker game. The room contained six poker tables, a spinning prize wheel and dedicated seating areas, with fridges stocked with drinks and snacks.

The operation came to an end in February 2024, when officers from Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit carried out warrants alongside the Gambling Commission, HMRC and Cardiff Council’s Licensing Department. Searches extended beyond the industrial unit to residential and business addresses connected to the two men.

Rassam and Karayiannis later admitted possessing and transferring criminal property in offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Both have now been sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for three years. A further Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled for 9 April 2027.

llegal gambling is not just an online problem.

This illegal poker den operated both in-person and online, was promoted to people linked to serious crime, and had none of the safeguards expected in the regulated sector.

Further tax rises that force legitimate venues to close…

— Betting and Gaming Council (@BetGameCouncil) October 6, 2026

Links to Serious Criminality

The police investigation went beyond the fact that poker was being offered without the required authorisation.

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Tarian ROCU found evidence that the games had been promoted to people involved in serious criminal activity. Investigators also found that those behind the operation had referred to drug dealers and members of organised crime groups attending the events.

Police concluded that the business had generated substantial undeclared profits, with proceeds helping to fund foreign travel and other expensive spending by those running it.

Some people playing at the venue lost significant amounts and accumulated debts with the organisers. The operation also lacked the safeguards expected of licensed gambling businesses, including systems intended to identify vulnerable customers or provide protection for people experiencing gambling-related problems.

The case initially developed from information received by the Gambling Commission about the illegal venue. That intelligence was subsequently passed into an investigation involving the regulator, Tarian ROCU, HMRC and Cardiff Council.

The Gambling Commission has indicated that it intends to continue working with enforcement partners against illegal gambling businesses operating in Great Britain.

The Cardiff case is the latest in a series of enforcement actions involving suspected unlicensed gambling operations this year. The Commission has also supported raids and investigations targeting illegal gambling activity in Manchester, Sheffield, Doncaster and Bristol during 2026.

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Source: gamblingcommission.gov.uk