York Regional Police (YRP) in Ontario have charged nine people with crimes that include keeping a gambling house, possession of property obtained by crime and trafficking proceeds obtained by crime as a result of a two-year investigation into illegal gambling in the Toronto area.
Police announced on Monday that they laid a total of 22 charges against the nine people and seized multiple gaming machines in connection with illegal gambling rings in Toronto and Vaughan.
Investigators with YRP’s Traditional Organized Crime Task Force launched “Project Scala” at the start of 2024 in collaboration with South Simcoe Police. That probe uncovered what police called an organized operation that involved the collection of money from illegal gambling establishments in Vaughan and Toronto. The probe led to officers executing search warrants at three residences and three gaming houses, and additional warrants were carried out at a business, storage locker and two vehicles in Toronto.
Police said they seized not only video gaming machines, related accessories and a large quantity of cash in bulk, but also silver bars and coins, a crypto wallet, illegal tobacco and alcohol, two vehicles and an undisclosed quantity of controlled substances.
They charged nine suspects from various cities across southern Ontario, ranging in age from 27 to 70 years old. The charges, which vary between the accused but are for a total of eight different offenses, are yet to be tested in court.
Ex-Toronto Police constable charged in separate incident
The latest YRP charges for alleged gambling crimes come just two weeks after the police service said they had charged retired Toronto Police Constable John Madeley after a different investigation into illegal online gaming and betting.
In that case, YRP said, an organized crime group allowed people to access gaming websites and place bets using credit between January 2024 and October 2025. When bets lost, the victims of the alleged scheme were required to settle debts in cash, sometimes in “exaggerated” amounts, said a YRP news release. Madeley and the other defendant, a man called Thomas Phippard and known as Frank the Tank, were both accused of using threats and violence to intimidate victims to collect money.
