How Illegal Sports Betting Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider

Owen Hanson is a former college athlete who ran an illegal sports betting company and later expanded into international cartel-backed money laundering and drug trafficking. Hanson is a former backup tight end for the University of Southern California football team in the early 2000s. He started smuggling steroids over the US-Mexico border while in school. He got involved in sports betting after the 2008 financial crisis and set up the ODOG Enterprise — a betting company targeting wealthy gamblers — from Costa Rica. Using his sports connections, Hanson offered rigged tips, bribed players, and enforced payments through threats. The FBI arrested him in 2015 for racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and he was sentenced to 21 years and three months in federal prison. He served nine years in prison since his arrest and forfeited $5 million in assets. He spoke to Business Insider about money laundering and the lifestyle of high-rolling sports betters. He discussed cartel suppliers and how steroids are smuggled across the US-Mexico border. Hanson is the author of "The California Kid: From USC Golden Boy to International Drug Kingpin." He launched California Ice Protein, a frozen "protein‑on‑a‑stick" brand inspired by Mexican paletas. He's the subject of a three-part docuseries, "Cocaine Quarterback," produced by Mark Wahlberg’s Unrealistic Ideas company. It premiered on Prime Video in September. For more: Owen’s book www.TheCaliforniaKid.com Cocaine Quarterback on Prime Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBRs2InNTSE The logo on his hat has been obscured to ensure no implied endorsement or connection between the brand and the subject matter discussed. 00:00 - Introduction 00:38 - The Connections 05:42 - The Rules 07:50 - The Clients 14:34 - The Banks 16:51 - Money Laundering 22:05 - The Lifestyle 24:34 - The Cartels 30:56 - Intimidation Tactics 35:21- College Sports 38:37 - The Smuggling 42:11 - The Aftermath 45:14 - The Future 50:12 - Credits ------------------------------------------------------ #sportsbetting #cartels #HowCrimeWorks MORE HOW CRIME WORKS VIDEOS: How Drug Pilots Actually Work (Medellin Cartel) https://youtu.be/UdzxHnzgbOI How Soccer Match-Fixing Actually Works https://youtu.be/ZZHwR629-yw How Multi-Million Dollar Heists Actually Work https://youtu.be/Ua9lEJn82PY Insider's mission is to inform and inspire. Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: https://www.businessinsider.com/ Insider on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insider Insider on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insider Insider on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisisinsider Insider on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Insider/2708030621 Insider on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insider How Illegal Sports Betting Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider