Cardiff Pair Receive Suspended Sentences for Illegal Poker Den

Noor Rassam and Panayiotis Karayiannis have received suspended prison sentences after admitting they possessed and transferred criminal funds generated by illegal poker games the pair ran in Cardiff, the Gambling Commission announced on October 5, 2026. The case followed a multi-agency investigation that began with information received by the Commission about an illegal gambling den.

Rassam, 29, from Pentwyn, Cardiff, and Karayiannis, 30, from Pontprennau, Cardiff, were each sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for three years. Both admitted possessing criminal property and transferring criminal property, each offence contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The Illegal Poker Operation

Between August 2022 and February 2024, the two men ran illegal poker games from an upstairs room within a unit on an industrial estate in Splott, Cardiff. The Commission said the premises had been equipped with six poker tables and a spinning prize wheel, alongside seating areas and fridges holding drinks and snacks.

The February 2024 Raid

In February 2024, officers from Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), working alongside the Gambling Commission, HMRC and Cardiff Council’s Licensing Department, executed warrants at the industrial unit and at residential and business addresses linked to the two men.

In a March 2024 account of the operation, South Wales Police reported that six warrants were executed across Cardiff on February 28, 2024, following intelligence that an illegal gambling den was operating in Splott. Two males were arrested on suspicion of money laundering and Gambling Act offences.

Police said the den, which occupied the upstairs area of the industrial unit, was searched, with all gambling equipment seized and removed. The seizure included six poker tables, a spinning prize wheel, poker coins and chips and multiple flatscreen televisions.

The Cardiff raid formed part of Operation Henhouse, a month-long national intensification against fraud funded by the National Economic Crime Centre and run as a collaborative effort by police forces, organised crime units and partner agencies across the UK. Tarian ROCU coordinated the activity for southern Wales, where the intensification produced six arrests, seven warrants and more than ten Cease and Desist notices issued to individuals committing fraud and money laundering offences across the region.

Kay Roberts, the Gambling Commission’s Executive Director of Operations at the time of the raid, said the Commission was committed to tackling illegal gambling activity across the UK and would continue working closely with law enforcement and partner agencies.

Regulator and Police Statements

Sue Young, the Gambling Commission’s Executive Director of Operations, said: “This case emerged after we received information about an illegal gambling den. The message is clear – if you run an illegal casino, there will be a tip off, you will be caught, and there will be significant consequences.”

Young said the Commission will continue to work with partners and take action against those who run illegal gambling operations in Great Britain.

Detective Constable Charles Lan, of Tarian ROCU, said the two men operated an illegal gambling business for their own financial gain, generating substantial profits that were never declared for tax purposes. He said the criminal enterprise provided significant personal benefits, bankrolling an extravagant lifestyle of foreign holidays and other expensive spending.

Lan said the investigation uncovered evidence that the pair actively promoted their poker games to individuals involved in serious criminality and boasted about drug dealers and organised crime group members attending their events. By providing a venue for such individuals and profiting from their participation, he said, the men were helping to facilitate and fund further criminal activity.

“This sentence sends a message that unlicensed gambling is not a victimless offence,” Lan said. He said players lost significant sums through the games and some became indebted to the organisers. Unlike legitimate operators, he added, the operation offered no safeguards to identify or support vulnerable people and no measures to protect those experiencing gambling addiction.

Lan thanked the Gambling Commission, whose intelligence he said first brought the activity to police attention, describing its expertise and support throughout the investigation as instrumental in bringing the case to a conclusion. He also thanked HMRC and Cardiff Council’s Licensing Department for their assistance.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing has been set for April 9, 2027.