Cardiff Poker Operators Receive Suspended Prison Terms Over Illegal Gambling Den
Six-table Splott venue offered live and online games, with financial enquiries identifying about £384,000 in third-party payments.
Noor Rassam and Panayiotis Karayiannis have each received a three-year prison sentence, suspended for three years, after operating an unlicensed poker business from an industrial unit in Splott, Cardiff. The men admitted possessing and transferring criminal property contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 on the first day of their trial.
The operation ran from August 2022 to February 2024. It offered poker both in person and online, promoted games through WhatsApp, and took a commission from each hand, known as rake, rather than playing directly against customers.
The Gambling Commission said the case followed intelligence it passed to Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit. In February 2024, investigators executed warrants at the unit and addresses connected to the pair, arresting both men and seizing cash, documents, digital devices and high-value items.
The upstairs room contained six poker tables, a spinning prize wheel, seating and fridges stocked with food and drink. Access was through a fire exit monitored by CCTV, while an office held poker chips, tokens, records of money paid and owed, and a Perspex-protected cashier window.
The live events were first promoted as Ding Ding Poker and later renamed Fish Tank Poker Cardiff. Online games operated through a subscription poker application under the Fish Tank Online account name.
Financial enquiries identified about £260,000 in third-party payments to Rassam and about £124,000 to Karayiannis during the period of the operation. Numerous account transactions referenced poker. Detective Constable Charles Lan said the business generated substantial undeclared profits and that its harm “should not be underestimated.”
Police said the games were promoted to people involved in serious crime, including drug dealers and organised crime groups. Investigators also found that some customers lost significant sums and became indebted to the organisers, while the operation had no measures to identify or support vulnerable people or those experiencing gambling addiction.
Gambling Commission executive Sue Young said the case carried a clear warning for illegal casino operators and that the regulator would continue working with partners against unlicensed gambling in Great Britain. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled for April 9, 2027.
