Darren Woods became a star in the poker industry after winning a world championship. Now he is accused of opening fake accounts on poker sites.

The 29-year-old from Healing allegedly used other people’s personal details to open fake accounts on virtual poker rooms. According to the latest gambling news, 13 fraud charges were brought against him between January 2007 and January 2012. Woods, of course, denied them all.

The court heard he not only used a false name when he signed an e-mail asking for proof of his supposed identity, but also submitted a copy of someone else’s passport as part of an alleged con. In other words, he tried to fool gambling operators running the poker sites, by pretending to be someone else.

His father, 56-year-old Morteza Gharoon, is said to be involved in four of these cases. He is now facing fraud offences, in addition to being charged with money laundering through credit billings, on behalf of his son.

Grimsby Telegraph: Claims poker star from Healing used other people’s identities to open fake accounts

Using 13 fake accounts gave Darren Woods an advantage, allowing him to gain benefits and commissions he wouldn’t have had access to by using just his own account.

He was made bankrupt in 2006 but made a fantastic financial recovery in July 2011, when he became a poker champion after winning a world series of poker game in Las Vegas. He took home $213,000 in cash for his efforts.

Woods’ father Morteza Gharoon, an Iranian national, was once a successful property investor. His impressive portfolio included several properties in the Grimsby area. The pair allegedly used the names and personal information of real people, in order to open fake accounts on internet gambling sites and virtual wallets.

The prosecution said Woods tried to open an internet poker account in 2010, using the name of Lloyd Stockley-Bond. But gambling laws require online operators to take measures to verify the identity of their users, so a Blue Square manager sent him an e-mail asking him to provide a copy of his identification, as well as proof of his address.

In order to “fool the systems”, the poker player allegedly bought private networks, as well as several computer, using them to disguise his online identity. The poker player is accused of fraud by false representation and the trial continues.

OnlinePoker: WSOP Winner Darren Woods Charged With Online Poker Fraud

UK WSOP winner Darren Woods appeared in Sheffield Crown Court after being accused of committing online poker fraud between January 2007 and January 2012. With a total of 12 charges brought against him, Woods went from a respected limit hold’em coach to an alleged fraudster.

In 2011, he was a coach at pokerstrategy.com, after having won $213,431 at the WSOP $2,500 Limit Hold’em Six Handed Event. His success also brought him a very lucrative affiliate sponsorship deal with online poker operator 888.

But the fame didn’t last long, because Darren ‘Dooshcom’ Woods was accused of colluding with another player who went under the username ‘Benkaremail’, to win hundreds of thousands of dollars against several high stakes online players.

His father, Morteza Gharoon is also accused of helping him on four occasions. Charges include money laundering, but the dad said his son has reassured him that his actions were perfectly legitimate.

An article published by the Telegraph explains: “Woods allegedly made money from the fraudulently opened accounts by playing at the same online poker table at the same time using different identities, giving him an advantage because he would unfairly know the hands of some of the other players.”

It’s unclear whether the alleged cheating formed the basis of the prosecution or whether the trial focuses solely on the accusations of Woods scamming 888 to gain $236,994 in affiliate commission.

PokerStrategy: Coach Darren Woods Accused of Collusion

In September 2011, PokerStrategy published statement on the allegations of collusion – at the Push-or-Fold tables at 888poker – brought against Darren ‘DooshCom’ Woods, who was a coach at the website. The company announced it was suspending him from his position.

A group of high stakes players had accused DooshCom and another player of sharing hole cards in 3 and 4-handed games to gain an unfair advantage. The pair was playing high stakes, at blinds of $500 or $1000.

Players became increasingly suspicious of Dooshcom and his “unknown” partner, which is why they started gathering information, compared histories and unanimously concluded that they were being cheated. Eventually, they wrote about it on forums, in an attempt to warn other players.

PokerStrategy decided to investigate the matter alongside 888poker, and after making it clear that it does not tolerate unfair play, decided to suspend Woods from his position as coach.

Darren Woods became a star in the poker industry after winning a world championship. Now he is accused of opening fake accounts on poker sites.

The 29-year-old from Healing allegedly used other people’s personal details to open fake accounts on virtual poker rooms. According to the latest gambling news, 13 fraud charges were brought against him between January 2007 and January 2012. Woods, of course, denied them all.

The court heard he not only used a false name when he signed an e-mail asking for proof of his supposed identity, but also submitted a copy of someone else’s passport as part of an alleged con. In other words, he tried to fool gambling operators running the poker sites, by pretending to be someone else.

His father, 56-year-old Morteza Gharoon, is said to be involved in four of these cases. He is now facing fraud offences, in addition to being charged with money laundering through credit billings, on behalf of his son.

Grimsby Telegraph: Claims poker star from Healing used other people’s identities to open fake accounts

Using 13 fake accounts gave Darren Woods an advantage, allowing him to gain benefits and commissions he wouldn’t have had access to by using just his own account.

He was made bankrupt in 2006 but made a fantastic financial recovery in July 2011, when he became a poker champion after winning a world series of poker game in Las Vegas. He took home $213,000 in cash for his efforts.

Woods’ father Morteza Gharoon, an Iranian national, was once a successful property investor. His impressive portfolio included several properties in the Grimsby area. The pair allegedly used the names and personal information of real people, in order to open fake accounts on internet gambling sites and virtual wallets.

The prosecution said Woods tried to open an internet poker account in 2010, using the name of Lloyd Stockley-Bond. But gambling laws require online operators to take measures to verify the identity of their users, so a Blue Square manager sent him an e-mail asking him to provide a copy of his identification, as well as proof of his address.

In order to “fool the systems”, the poker player allegedly bought private networks, as well as several computer, using them to disguise his online identity. The poker player is accused of fraud by false representation and the trial continues.

OnlinePoker: WSOP Winner Darren Woods Charged With Online Poker Fraud

UK WSOP winner Darren Woods appeared in Sheffield Crown Court after being accused of committing online poker fraud between January 2007 and January 2012. With a total of 12 charges brought against him, Woods went from a respected limit hold’em coach to an alleged fraudster.

In 2011, he was a coach at pokerstrategy.com, after having won $213,431 at the WSOP $2,500 Limit Hold’em Six Handed Event. His success also brought him a very lucrative affiliate sponsorship deal with online poker operator 888.

But the fame didn’t last long, because Darren ‘Dooshcom’ Woods was accused of colluding with another player who went under the username ‘Benkaremail’, to win hundreds of thousands of dollars against several high stakes online players.

His father, Morteza Gharoon is also accused of helping him on four occasions. Charges include money laundering, but the dad said his son has reassured him that his actions were perfectly legitimate.

An article published by the Telegraph explains: “Woods allegedly made money from the fraudulently opened accounts by playing at the same online poker table at the same time using different identities, giving him an advantage because he would unfairly know the hands of some of the other players.”

It’s unclear whether the alleged cheating formed the basis of the prosecution or whether the trial focuses solely on the accusations of Woods scamming 888 to gain $236,994 in affiliate commission.

PokerStrategy: Coach Darren Woods Accused of Collusion

In September 2011, PokerStrategy published statement on the allegations of collusion – at the Push-or-Fold tables at 888poker – brought against Darren ‘DooshCom’ Woods, who was a coach at the website. The company announced it was suspending him from his position.

A group of high stakes players had accused DooshCom and another player of sharing hole cards in 3 and 4-handed games to gain an unfair advantage. The pair was playing high stakes, at blinds of $500 or $1000.

Players became increasingly suspicious of Dooshcom and his “unknown” partner, which is why they started gathering information, compared histories and unanimously concluded that they were being cheated. Eventually, they wrote about it on forums, in an attempt to warn other players.

PokerStrategy decided to investigate the matter alongside 888poker, and after making it clear that it does not tolerate unfair play, decided to suspend Woods from his position as coach.

Due in part to the recent economic downturn, but also to bad weather across the UK this winter, Ladbrokes has seen first quarter profits at its high street betting shops down several percent. Online, however, things are looking promising, especially after the group cut costs by moving its online operations to Gibraltar.

Telegraph: Ladbrokes revenue dips as cautious punters stake less cash

Ladbrokes last week revealed that revenue has slipped 6% year on year, with a 10% drop in the amount of money staked by customers.

The sportsbook said that over-the-counter revenue at its land-based betting shops saw a huge drop in January due to bad weather, falling a full 17%. In the months following, trends slowly improved with April revenue down only 7%.

Sports betting is often considered to be a recession-proof businesses, but many struggled during the recent economic downturn. The latest updates from other high street bookmakers like Paddy Power and William Hill have fortunately been more promising.

Ladbrokes’ new chief executive Richard Glynn said the current economic climate is still “challenging” and UK consumers are not as confident in their spending as they were a few years ago.

Despite this recent drop in revenues, Ladbrokes saw operating profits rice 3pc in the first quarter of 2010, thanks in large part to the group’s move to the tax haven of Gibraltar last year.

Ladbrokes finance director Brian Wallace said he has plans to save the company around £8m a year.

Guardian: Ladbrokes shares slip as punters stay away

UK bookmakers have been struggling more than expected during the recent economic slump recession, but the latest reports from William Hill and Paddy Power are showing signs of picking up. Ladbrokes, however, said last week that numbers are dropping in their books, with the amount of bets placed in its high street shops continuing to decline.

First quarter net revenue at Ladbrokes has fallen 6%, with UK retail revenue down 11%. Over the counter revenue dropped by 10%. Its online sports betting business is also seeing a slump, mostly due to unexpectedly poor performance from their poker and casino offerings.

Newly appointed Ladbrokes chief executive Richard Glyn said, “The economic environment remains challenging and the strength of UK consumer confidence post the election is difficult to gauge. However group profitability year to date has been broadly in line with expectations.”

Irish Times: Operating profit rises at Ladbrokes

UK bookmaker Ladbrokes reported a 3% rise in four-month operating profits, thanks to its recent strategy of moving its online sports betting headquarters to the gambling tax haven of Gibraltar.

The move introduced several expense reductions which have helped to offset a recent drop in revenue at Ladbrokes’ UK betting shops, which is down 6% over the last four months.

The company also revealed that their net debt had fallen by £179 million, thanks to a £515 million settlement it recently received from a tax dispute.

Ladbrokes’ latest strategy is to bring more attention to its online sportsbook, to make up for the drop in sales at its land-based betting shops. After moving their online betting unit to Gibraltar last year, the company expects to save about £8 million annually.

Due in part to the recent economic downturn, but also to bad weather across the UK this winter, Ladbrokes has seen first quarter profits at its high street betting shops down several percent. Online, however, things are looking promising, especially after the group cut costs by moving its online operations to Gibraltar.

Telegraph: Ladbrokes revenue dips as cautious punters stake less cash

Ladbrokes last week revealed that revenue has slipped 6% year on year, with a 10% drop in the amount of money staked by customers.

The sportsbook said that over-the-counter revenue at its land-based betting shops saw a huge drop in January due to bad weather, falling a full 17%. In the months following, trends slowly improved with April revenue down only 7%.

Sports betting is often considered to be a recession-proof businesses, but many struggled during the recent economic downturn. The latest updates from other high street bookmakers like Paddy Power and William Hill have fortunately been more promising.

Ladbrokes’ new chief executive Richard Glynn said the current economic climate is still “challenging” and UK consumers are not as confident in their spending as they were a few years ago.

Despite this recent drop in revenues, Ladbrokes saw operating profits rice 3pc in the first quarter of 2010, thanks in large part to the group’s move to the tax haven of Gibraltar last year.

Ladbrokes finance director Brian Wallace said he has plans to save the company around £8m a year.

Guardian: Ladbrokes shares slip as punters stay away

UK bookmakers have been struggling more than expected during the recent economic slump recession, but the latest reports from William Hill and Paddy Power are showing signs of picking up. Ladbrokes, however, said last week that numbers are dropping in their books, with the amount of bets placed in its high street shops continuing to decline.

First quarter net revenue at Ladbrokes has fallen 6%, with UK retail revenue down 11%. Over the counter revenue dropped by 10%. Its online sports betting business is also seeing a slump, mostly due to unexpectedly poor performance from their poker and casino offerings.

Newly appointed Ladbrokes chief executive Richard Glyn said, “The economic environment remains challenging and the strength of UK consumer confidence post the election is difficult to gauge. However group profitability year to date has been broadly in line with expectations.”

Irish Times: Operating profit rises at Ladbrokes

UK bookmaker Ladbrokes reported a 3% rise in four-month operating profits, thanks to its recent strategy of moving its online sports betting headquarters to the gambling tax haven of Gibraltar.

The move introduced several expense reductions which have helped to offset a recent drop in revenue at Ladbrokes’ UK betting shops, which is down 6% over the last four months.

The company also revealed that their net debt had fallen by £179 million, thanks to a £515 million settlement it recently received from a tax dispute.

Ladbrokes’ latest strategy is to bring more attention to its online sportsbook, to make up for the drop in sales at its land-based betting shops. After moving their online betting unit to Gibraltar last year, the company expects to save about £8 million annually.

Parents who subscribe to the new 3G wireless internet service offered by Tibboh will have fine-tuned control over what sites their children can access. The ISP has rated billions of websites using the same system that the British Board of Film Classification uses to rate films. Parents can create custom logins for each child, and restrict their net access to age-appropriate sites, keeping them away from adult-oriented websites like online gambling and porn.

Telegraph: New ISP with age ratings for websites launched

Tibboh, a new Internet Service Provider in the UK, consulted the British Board of Film Classification for help in categorizing three billion websites with a new rating system.

Each category of site is assigned its own rating. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have been rated 12, while online gambling websites and illegal downloading sites are rated 18.

Each internet user has a unique login, and since their age is on file in the system, the internet becomes age-restricted. For example, 12-year-olds will be stopped from accessing websites that are rated 15.

The new system shares a commonality between movie and video game classifications that are standard across the UK.

The system was suggested in a government-commissioned report published in 2008 by Professor Tanya Bryon.

BBC News: Film classification takes to the web

A UK internet service provider will soon offer a web filtering service that uses the same classification system that the film and video game industries provide.

The British Board of Film Classification has teamed up with ISP to create the system. Parents will be able select the level of filtering they require to protect their children, choosing from U, PG, 12, 15 or 18. This will help parents to block sites related to pornography, gambling, and other adult themes.

The ISP, Tibboh, is currently only offering the filter through their 3G mobile internet service. Users who want to implement the filter will need a special dongle, and will be able to register individual profiles for different family members.

There will be a monthly charge of £19.99 for the service, which has a 15 gigabyte data limit.

Thinq.co.uk: Kids’ ISP launches with UK censor backing

A mobile internet service provider with a built-in content filtering system has just launched, giving UK parents a way to restrict their kids’ internet access to age-appropriate sites.

The £19.99/month service from Tibboh (which is Hobbit spelled backwards) classifies websites using the same system that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) uses to rate films – U, PG, 12, 15 and 18.

The system will give parents fine-tuned filtering options than previous blanket filters that block too much.

The BBFC officially supports the project, after Tibboh became the first ISP to use its online membership guidelines.

The filtering system is tamper resistant, and will prevent net-savvy children from changing their profile settings and gaining access to sites their parents wish to block.

Parents who subscribe to the new 3G wireless internet service offered by Tibboh will have fine-tuned control over what sites their children can access. The ISP has rated billions of websites using the same system that the British Board of Film Classification uses to rate films. Parents can create custom logins for each child, and restrict their net access to age-appropriate sites, keeping them away from adult-oriented websites like online gambling and porn.

Telegraph: New ISP with age ratings for websites launched

Tibboh, a new Internet Service Provider in the UK, consulted the British Board of Film Classification for help in categorizing three billion websites with a new rating system.

Each category of site is assigned its own rating. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have been rated 12, while online gambling websites and illegal downloading sites are rated 18.

Each internet user has a unique login, and since their age is on file in the system, the internet becomes age-restricted. For example, 12-year-olds will be stopped from accessing websites that are rated 15.

The new system shares a commonality between movie and video game classifications that are standard across the UK.

The system was suggested in a government-commissioned report published in 2008 by Professor Tanya Bryon.

BBC News: Film classification takes to the web

A UK internet service provider will soon offer a web filtering service that uses the same classification system that the film and video game industries provide.

The British Board of Film Classification has teamed up with ISP to create the system. Parents will be able select the level of filtering they require to protect their children, choosing from U, PG, 12, 15 or 18. This will help parents to block sites related to pornography, gambling, and other adult themes.

The ISP, Tibboh, is currently only offering the filter through their 3G mobile internet service. Users who want to implement the filter will need a special dongle, and will be able to register individual profiles for different family members.

There will be a monthly charge of £19.99 for the service, which has a 15 gigabyte data limit.

Thinq.co.uk: Kids’ ISP launches with UK censor backing

A mobile internet service provider with a built-in content filtering system has just launched, giving UK parents a way to restrict their kids’ internet access to age-appropriate sites.

The £19.99/month service from Tibboh (which is Hobbit spelled backwards) classifies websites using the same system that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) uses to rate films – U, PG, 12, 15 and 18.

The system will give parents fine-tuned filtering options than previous blanket filters that block too much.

The BBFC officially supports the project, after Tibboh became the first ISP to use its online membership guidelines.

The filtering system is tamper resistant, and will prevent net-savvy children from changing their profile settings and gaining access to sites their parents wish to block.