AGAWAM - State police simultaneously raided four residences here and a fifth in West Springfield on Monday night as part of a months-long investigation into an illegal Internet sports wagering operation.

The operation, with more than 130 wagering customers, was pulling in tens of thousands of dollars a week, state police Lt. Thomas J. Murphy said.

"I'd say its one of the larger-scale operations that we have done in the past decade," Murphy said.

Most of customers, Murphy said, are from Western Massachusetts, with a few from out of state.

Although no arrests were made, numerous computers, both laptops and desktops, were seized as investigators executed their search warrants, Murphy said. Balance sheets and spread sheets detailing the betting were also seized.

Search warrants were executed in Agawam at: Mansion Woods Condominiums, 562 Suffield St., 12D; 700 Cooper St.; 129 Tobacco Farms Road, and 107 Fox Drive.

Murphy declined to name suspects, but said that for the Agawam properties, with the exception of the Mansion Woods unit, the suspects are the owners of record.

The owner of the Mansion Woods unit was not present when that search warrant was executed, Murphy said.

Hampden Country Registry of Deeds documents identify the other Agawam property owners as: Antonio P. Liquori, of 700 Cooper St.; Robert A. Desimone, of 129 Tobacco Farm Road, and Thomas J. Briggs, of 107 Red Fox Drive.

Telephone calls made to each of the Agawam property owners yesterday were not immediately returned.

In West Springfield, the search warrant was executed at 117 Bridle Path Road. Murphy said the property owner is not a suspect. A man who answered the telephone at the West Springfield property yesterday declined to comment.

Murphy described the Western Massachusetts suspects as managers who pay a weekly fee to the Internet facility for each betting customer.

Managers make money in a number of ways, including their percentage of losing wagers. Managers also dictate to the Internet facility how much money each customers are good for, Murphy said.

Bettors are provided with a password and code name that allows them to make bets online or via a toll-free telephone line, Murphy said.

Murphy declined to reveal the location of the operation hosting the Internet betting site, but said that most such sites are "off-shore," often in places where such wagering is legal.

"It makes no difference for us though," Murphy said of the illegal wagering which occurred here. "All the local exchanges of money and the day-to-day dealings took place here."

And although the majority of the betting took place locally, "the tentacles of these things go out across the country and obviously out of the country," Murphy said.

Such operations, Murphy said, often have ties to organized crime.

Wagers were made on a number of different sports including professional football, baseball and hockey as well as professional and collegiate basketball.

Asked if investigators might take legal action against the bettors themselves, Murphy said, "Historically, we haven't."

The investigation is ongoing and Murphy said he expects the number of people involved in the matter will be expanding.

Those participating in the raids were the State Police Special Services Section Organized Crime Unit, state place assigned to the Hampden County Detective Unit, the State Police Computer Forensics Unit and uniformed troopers attached to the state police barracks in Springfield.

Murphy said the evidence will be reviewed by the Hampden County District Attorney's Office for potential grand jury presentation.

This article is a reprint from MassLive.com. To view the original story, click here.