Belfast man avoids prison over illegal home bingo operation

A Belfast man who ran an illegal bingo operation from his home during a Covid-19 lockdown has avoided prison.

Connor McAreavey, 36, of Leeson Street in the city, had previously pleaded guilty to organising or managing prohibited gaming on dates between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022.

He further pleaded guilty to possessing criminal property totalling £54,897 between 1 January 2020 and 15 March 2023.

Sentencing McAreavey at Belfast Crown Court on Monday, Judge Catherine Chasemore described the offending as “serious” before imposing a ten-month prison sentence, which she suspended for a period of one year.

The court heard the offences came to light when police officers were directed to defendant’s home in relation to a potential lockdown breach on 2 February 2021.

Officers arrived to find a group of between 80 and 100 people queuing outside McAreavey’s house.

The prosecution barrister said police spoke to the crowd who said they were buying bingo tickets from the defendant.

“They (police) spoke to the defendant, who stated that he started selling bingo tickets to enable the local community to play online, which he set up at the start of lockdown,” said the barrister.

“He claimed that he was not selling for profit and was distributing all monies to the local community as prize money.”

McAreavey was told to stop selling tickets from his home because of potential further breaches, he told officers he would have tickets delivered and shouted to the crowd to disperse.

The court heard that, in response to a complaint about further breaches, Belfast City Council went to the defendant’s home in March 2022 and spoke to McAreavey.

He told them he had been operating a bingo club in the area since lockdown and ran it twice weekly from his kitchen.

The barrister said the council later confirmed McAreavey did not have a licence to operate the bingo events.

Police later seized £6,887 in cash and €2,065, which are currently the subject of civil forfeiture proceedings.

The defendant’s mobile phone was seized and showed messages relating to raffle tickets and bingo books being ordered by customers, who either paid online or in cash when items were delivered to their homes.

The defendant was interviewed in June 2023, where he made no comment in response to all police questions.

Passing sentence, Judge Chasemore told McAreavey: “Whether this offending was through naivety or otherwise, it is so serious that the public needs to be protected from unregulated operations.”

Detective Chief Inspector Uel Boyd of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Economic Crime Unit said anyone involved in unlicensed gambling “will be detected, investigated and ultimately prosecuted”.

“We work alongside partner agencies and licensing authorities to investigate reports, follow financial and intelligence leads, and ensure those responsible are brought before the courts,” he said.