Two in sports betting ring are sentenced

Two codefendants in a multimillion-dollar sports betting ring that operated out of the Borgata Hotel & Casino poker room in Atlantic City were sentenced yesterday.

Superior Court Judge Michael A. Donio ordered Joseph Wishnick, 44, of Brigantine, N.J., to serve 270 days in the Atlantic County jail as part of a three-year probation sentence, according to Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gamiccioni. Wishnick, a former poker room supervisor at the Borgata, allegedly ignored the illegal sports betting going on in the room.

Donio sentenced Robert Mackie, 40, of Staten Island, N.Y., to serve two years' probation and pay a fine of $3,000. Mackie allegedly served as an agent for the ring. Both defendants pleaded guilty in December to third-degree promotion of gambling for taking in bets for the ring.

An investigation led by the state police and the Division of Criminal Justice dubbed "Operation High Roller" uncovered a ring that took in more than $60 million in bets on college and professional football and basketball games over 20 months. Twenty-four defendants were indicted in April. Thirteen other defendants from the case have yet to be sentenced. - Adrienne Lu