5Dimes To Pay $46.8 Million To Feds, Looks To Enter Legal U.S. Market

• Costa Rica-based sportsbook 5Dimes was under investigation by the US Federal Government under suspicions of money laundering since 2016.
• 5Dimes reached a settlement with the US to pay $46.8 million in cash and assets.
• 5Dimes will attempt to launch as a domestic sportsbook in the near future.

HARRISBURG, Penn. – Popular international sportsbook 5Dimes has officially reached a settlement with the US Federal Government valued at $46.8 million.

The Costa Rica-based sportsbook has been under investigation by the Federal Government since 2016. This was due to suspicions of money laundering.

Widow of the late 5Dimes founder William Sean Creighton and current head of the sportsbook Laura Varela has been absolved of any crimes and plans to relaunch 5Dimes in accordance with US Federal Law.

5Dimes Settlement

5Dimes made a public announcement that they would temporarily stop accepting US players in early September, leaving many customers confused.

Now with the announcement of the settlement agreement, sports bettors now understand what was going on behind the scenes.

Per the settlement, 5Dimes will forfeit over $30 million in assets, pay $15 million in cash, and are barred from accepting wagers from US customers while operating out of Costa Rica. With the agreement, Varela will avoid facing criminal charges and be allowed to pursue a domestic launch of 5Dimes.

“The investigation was a complete success from our perspective,” said Michael Lowe, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “There was gambling going on, but we discovered it, we put a stop to it.”

The investigation began back in 2016 when the Department of Homeland Security and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania filed a seizure warrant in the US District Court to investigate 5Dimes.

“We achieved the objective, which is, she is compliant with U.S. federal law right now,” said Maria M. Carrillo, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “What that means for her is she is not operating in violation of U.S. law, and she is not actively taking bets from U.S. bettors. Whether she’s positioned well for regulators, that’s up for the regulators to decide. She certainly is no longer in violation of federal law.”

The investigation was brought on by 5Dimes use of third-party payment processors which allowed 5Dimes to hide illegal activity.

Now with the settlement past, Varela plans to work towards an official US launch of 5Dimes. 5D Americas LLC has been officially filed in Delaware as the sportsbook looks for official entry in the legal sports betting market in the U.S.

For now, 5Dimes customers will have to wait as the company no longer can accept US sports bettors at this time.

News tags: 5Dimes | ESPN | Laura Varela | Maria M. Carrillo | Michael Lowe | Pennsylvania | William Sean Creighton