Former Minor Leaguer Wayne Nix Pleads Guilty in Illegal Sports Gambling Case
Former minor league baseball player Wayne Nix was among several people to plead guilty to operating an illegal sports gambling ring that reportedly started over 20 years ago.
According to Nathaniel Percy of the Daily Breeze, the gambling ring involved current and former professional athletes. Nix was among those to plead guilty to "operating an illegal gambling website based in Costa Rica, with some failing to report profits from the site on their tax forms."
A former pitcher in the Oakland A's organization, Nix started the business himself two decades ago and developed it through his contacts in professional sports, the court documents stated.
Percy stated that Nix hired three former MLB players to help with the business, but they were not named in the court documents. As part of his guilty plea, Nix admitted "the business was illegal because it involved at least five people, operated for at least six years and had a gross revenue well over $2,000 per day."
Nix would hire agents to solicit customers and set up accounts on the website to accept bets. He would then place a betting limit on each customer, and the agents would distribute payouts or collect debts.
According to Percy, Nix's plea agreement revealed that his website received payments from a professional football player, an MLB coach, a baseball analyst and a sports broadcaster for losses. The broadcaster reportedly told Nix he would refinance his home to pay off his debts.
The court documents did not name any of the bettors or agents involved with the business.
Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said that Nix admitted to receiving nearly $1.5 million in income from the business that went unreported on his tax forms in 2017 and 2018. He has agreed to pay all back taxes from those two years.
