A 58-year-old man has yet to make his first court appearance after being charged with running an illegal gaming operation out of a Burnaby bowling alley building.
Richard Kurt Giebelhaus was arrested in March 2021 in connection with an investigation into illegal gaming activity inside the Revs building at 5502 Lougheed Hwy., according to the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, which investigates gangs and illegal gambling in the province.
“Information was received that an alleged illegal gaming operation was being conducted within the Revs Bowling building which initiated an investigation,” CFSEU spokesperson Sgt. Brenda Winpenny told the NOW in an emailed statement.
Investigators conducted a search warrant at Giebelhaus’s residence on the day of his arrest, but he wasn’t charged until June 30 of this year.
“Once the investigation reaches a point that the required evidence has been collected the investigative team drafts a disclosure package that is presented to Crown counsel,” Winpenny said. “Crown counsel then has the onerous task of reviewing all the disclosure material and deciding what charges if any are appropriate and meet the charge approval threshold. This can take some time.”
Giebelhaus has been charged with one count of keeping “a common gaming house” between July 10, 2019 to Aug. 26, 2021.
His first court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday, but his lawyer appeared on his behalf.
His next court date is Aug. 23.
COVID-19 appears to have led to a proliferation of illegal gaming houses, according to Winpenny.
“Anecdotally, we can say that during the COVID 19 pandemic restrictions and the closure of casinos, illegal gaming houses became more common or prevalent and have continued to operate in this manner,” she said.
CFSEU’s Joint Illegal Gaming Investigation Team was in Burnaby just last month to execute a search warrant at Big Shots Café in relation to an illegal gaming investigation.
The agency had raided the place before.
In July 2020, officers located “several individuals participating in activity that appeared to be that of an illegal gaming house” in the restaurant, according to an earlier CFSEU news release.
During that raid, CFSEU seized poker tables, slot machines, cash, poker chips, playing cards and other items, according to the release.
The Joint Illegal Gaming Investigation Team was launched in 2016 to provide a coordinated, multi-jurisdictional response to illegal gaming in British Columbia “with an emphasis on top-tier organized crime and gangs,” according to the agency.
“Illegal gaming, and the locations that allow them, have been the root of other criminal offences that impact the safety of the public,” Winpenny said in the news release announcing charges after the 2020 raid on Big Shots Café.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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