Mike Colbert sports book director arrested with five other in Las Vegas

The sports book director Mike Colbert was arrested Wednesday. The arrest was made in

connection to a warrant out of Queens, NY where Colbert faces accusations of illegal bookmaking. Gamming and legal sources confirmed that the charges involve Pinnaclespports.com. Colbert manages the M Resort’s race and sports book. He was booked into Clark County Detention Center Wednesday following his arrest at 6 a.m. seven other Las Vegas

area residents were also taken into custody, according to Jerry Markling, chief of enforcement at the Nevada Gaming Control Board said Colbert was arrested at 6 a.m. at his home a short distance from the M Resort in

Henderson. He was one of eight people arrested in Las Vegas on the New York charges. Others were Las Vegas residents Kelly R. Barsel, 42, Jerry M. Branca, 67, Steven S. Diano, 48, Brandt A. England, 49, and Joseph D. Paulk, 35, and Henderson resident Paul Sexton, 29.

A phone call to the District Attorney in Queens was not immediately

returned, but a news conference is scheduled for Thursday morning.
Jeff Voyles, a Las Vegas gaming expert with Globalysis said illegal bookmaking arrests are not uncommon, but a high-profile arrest like this one is out of the ordinary.

“If there’s any conviction whatsoever, [Colbert] probably will not see a gaming position again,” Voyles said. “That’s also taken very seriously,

especially in regards to how close it was to what he does on a daily basis.”