Former Philadelphia probation officer sentenced for running illegal sports gambling business
A former Philadelphia probation officer is facing a mix of jail time and home confinement after admitting he spent years running an illegal sports betting operation, federal prosecutors said Wednesday (April 8).
Joseph M. Moore, 43, was sentenced to one day in custody followed by a year of home detention. On top of that, he’ll serve three years of supervised release, give up $200,000, and pay a $7,200 fine. U.S. District Judge Mark A. Kearney handed down the sentence in federal court.
Authorities say Moore’s gambling business operated for roughly eight years, beginning in early 2017 and continuing until February 2025. During that time, prosecutors said, he took bets on sporting events and organized so-called block pools and other group betting schemes.
Moore admitted guilt in October 2025, pleading to a single charge of running an illegal gambling business. His co-defendant, James P. DeAngelo, 45, is also from Philadelphia and entered a guilty plea at the same time. DeAngelo is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30, 2026.
How former probation officer ran illegal sports gambling business in Philadelphia
Court records describe a setup where bettors had several ways to place wagers through what prosecutors called the Moore Gambling Business. People could bet on individual games or buy into sports pools, some with entry fees as high as $500. The pools sometimes paid out thousands to winners.
According to prosecutors, Moore collected roughly 10% of winnings from successful bettors as a fee. For standard wagers, his cut was built directly into the odds or cost of placing the bet.
Investigators say DeAngelo, a Philadelphia police officer, played a major role in keeping the operation running. Prosecutors said he worked closely with Moore, brought in another associate, and helped connect the business to an overseas gambling website, which allowed users to open accounts and place bets through Moore’s network for a fee.
DeAngelo also earned a percentage of bettors’ losses, sometimes as much as 20%, according to prosecutors. In some situations, he took bets himself. In others, authorities say he steered customers toward Moore’s wider operation.
Over the years, the business handled wagers from hundreds of people and took in hundreds of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said. The FBI investigated the case, which is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen.
Federal prosecutors have stated that this case is separate from other recent illegal gambling prosecutions in Pennsylvania. In those matters, amusement and novelty game companies pleaded guilty to running unlawful gambling operations tied to gaming machines.
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