Expertise: Crime, Regulation, Retail betting. The 5Dimes online sportsbook has for years served the US market illegally from Costa Rica. But now it appears to be trying to make a clean break of it. 5Dimes allows you to parlay several bets together. Parlay is just a cool way to say a group of bets that are tied into one single bet. A standard parlay requires you to win every bet on your slip, or you lose the entire bet. As this is more challenging to do, the sportsbook will pay much higher returns than with a standard single bet.

5Dimes’ website looks like it was made around 10 years ago (because it was), and the sportsbook hardly provides the fastest customer service in the market, but they consistently give their customers the best US betting lines and have been operating reliably from before we turned into the 21st century.

In addition to great betting lines (relatively speaking, of course; they’re still a business looking to make money), I feel comfortable recommending 5Dimes because of their reliability.

As mentioned, their customer support is sometimes slow to respond, but they’ve been processing money transactions fast and without unresolved complaints for over 15 years now – that kind of a track record is not just impressive but also makes you feel as safe as can be about depositing money to the site.

5Dimes accepts customers from the USA. If you only bet on sports, 5Dimes is the best US-friendly option, since it consistently provides the best odds and even has “reduced juice” bets for those who choose to have less juice (“house edge”) in certain games rather than take the deposit bonus (you can only choose one; however, reduced juice is the default way to go).

About 5Dimes Sportsbook and Casino

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Costa Rica, 5Dimes is one of the oldest online sportsbooks and casinos out there. With over 20 years of experience under their belt, 5Dimes has developed a stellar reputation in the industry. Something that caught my eye about 5Dimes is that they have a really cool initiative called the 5Dimes Cares Initiative. Under this, 5Dimes supports many charitable organizations. It’s fantastic that 5Dimes is taking the time to give back to the community that they work in.

Who Can Play at 5Dimes Sportsbook and Casino?

Luckily, 5Dimes accepts players from most countries. Notably, players from the United States are more than welcome to join. Based on my research, I could only identify a small set of countries that are excluded. I’ve included this list of countries below for your reference.

• Costa Rica
• The United Kingdom

• Hungary

• Portugal
• Ukraine

Software Suppliers

The primary software supplier for the casino games at 5Dimes is RealTime Gaming. RealTime Gaming is one of the oldest online casino software companies out there, with roots going back to 1998. Thanks to this experience in the industry, 5Dimes offers their clients a robust selection of casino games from a trusted software supplier.

For their sportsbook, 5Dimes relies on Advisor Software Inc. (ASI). ASI has been around since 1995, and they have a good reputation for sportsbook software. With their use of ASI sportsbook software, 5Dimes provides their clients with a great online sportsbook for all of their sports betting needs.

The Good Stuff

Amazing Customer Service

5Dimes has some stellar customer service. One of my favorite parts of their customer service is that they offer it 24/7. This makes it very simple for anyone to reach their team when they need help. The other thing that I like about it is that they offer three convenient contact options to contact their team. At 5Dimes, you can use live chat, phone, and email to contact them, which gives you many options to select from.

Live Casino Games

At 5Dimes, I was super excited to see that they offer live dealer games. Currently, you can play popular live dealer casino games such as baccarat, roulette, and blackjack. I’m a big fan of live dealer games thanks to the added interaction that they provide players.

Live Sportsbook Betting

In the 5Dimes sportsbook, you’re able to wager on in-play action. This means that you can bet on games that are already underway. Currently, live betting is one of the hottest trends in online sportsbooks, so I’m pleased to see that 5Dimes offers it to their clients.

The Bad Stuff

Manual Promotion Claim Process

My most significant irk with 5Dimes is that they make the client jump through some hoops to claim many of their promotions. While they offer a large selection of promotional offers, many of them force the clients to take extra steps to get the bonus. Instead of using simple claim codes like most other online sportsbooks and casinos, 5Dimes requires clients to reach out to their team to get the bonus. This is something that I’d like to see them change in the future so that there are fewer hoops for their clients to jump through.

The Sportsbook

My first impression when checking out the sportsbook at 5Dimes was that it was bland. In all honesty, the page looked outdated. That being said, I was happy to see that there were not any annoying advertisements on the page for their online casinos. I can’t stand it when other sites do this. Despite the basic look of the page, I continued my in-depth scan of the sportsbook to see what I could uncover.

One of the first things that I noticed was that 5Dimes offers live sports betting in their sportsbook. Based on how popular live betting is currently in the industry, I’m glad that 5Dimes isn’t missing the boat by not offering in-play action. Finding the live betting on 5Dimes was effortless thanks to their top bar main navigation. To see the in-play betting options, just click on the sportsbook link and then select the live-action option. You’ll then be transported to a page showing all of the current in-play action available for wagers at that moment.

Another nice touch of the sportsbook at 5Dimes is that they allow clients to sort by bet type. Unfortunately, many other online sportsbooks don’t offer this functionality, so I was excited to see that 5Dimes does include it. When you’re in the sportsbook, you can use the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the page to select the type of bet you’d like to make. Once you choose your bet type, 5Dimes will then show you a list of all sports available for that wager type. You can then drill down until you find the perfect bet that you were searching for.

5dimes Sports

I also noticed that 5Dimes gives users the options to change how their odds are displayed. In their sportsbook, you can select a US-style or EU-style of odds. I like the flexibility that this gives clients so that they can view pricing in the format that is best for them. If you’d like to change how your odds are displayed, just click on the price format portion of the top navigation in the sportsbook.

As a whole, I like what I see for the sportsbook at 5Dimes. While the first impression was a bit disappointing, the sportsbook itself does not disappoint from a functionality and user interface standpoint. 5Dimes has done a great job assembling a winning sportsbook setup.

Sports You Can Bet On

When you’re ready to place some sports wagers online, 5Dimes has a pretty good selection of sports that you can bet on. In total, 5Dimes currently has 20 sports that you can bet on. I’ve listed out these sports below so that you can check the list and see if your favorite sports to bet on are offered at 5Dimes.

I should note one quick thing. The list below represents the sports that 5Dimes offered on their sportsbook at the time of my site review. Like most other online sportsbooks, 5Dimes only shows a sport if they have a wager available on it at that time. If your sport of choice is missing from the list below, I’d suggest that you try checking back once that sport’s season begins.

• Football
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Hockey
• Soccer
• Golf
• Tennis
• Motor Racing
• Fighting
• Politics
• Horse Racing
• Spelling Bee
• Volleyball
• Cricket
• Handball
• Puppy Bowl
• Lotto
• Competitive Eating
• Chess
• Esports

I’m a fan of the sportsbook offering at 5Dimes. What I like about their lineup of sports that you can bet on is that they have all of the major sports like golf and baseball there, but they also offer wagers on harder-to-find options such as chess and handball. Based on this lineup of 20 sports, I suspect that most people won’t have a problem finding the wager that they are looking for on 5Dimes.

Esports Betting

If you’re into esports, you’ll be happy to know that 5Dimes offers esports action in their sportsbook. I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of betting on esports. It’s currently all the rage in the online sportsbook world, and I’m glad to see that 5Dimes isn’t missing out on the action.

At the time of my review, I found betting options on CS:GO, DOTA 2, and League of Legends. Luckily, that means that 5Dimes is offering action on the hottest esports games. Based on what I’ve seen on other online sportsbooks, 5Dimes provides a fairly average selection. I’d like to see them continue to add to their games you can bet on in the future so that their clients have more esports wagers to choose from.

Casino Game Selection

5Dimes offers a massive lineup of casino games. Much of the reason for that is that they provide not one but three different online casinos in their platform. I’ve not come across anyone offering three different casinos before, so this is a definite rarity. The three casinos are named Grand Casino, Jackpot Casino, and Bonus Casino.

The beautiful thing about 5Dimes offering three casinos is that they each bring their own unique set of games to the table. In the sections below, I’ll talk about what you can expect to find in each one of the 5Dimes casinos. Be sure to take a moment to check out all three casinos to see everything that they have to offer.

Video Poker

At 5Dimes, you’ll find a vast selection of video poker games across their three online casinos. In total, I located over 150 different video poker games. While each of their three casinos offered many choices, the Bonus Casino had the most extensive selection at over 70 games. Below, I’ve provided a lineup of the top video poker games available on the 5Dimes online casinos.

• Bonus Deuces
• Bonus Poker
• Double Bonus Poker
• Multi-hand Bonus Poker
• Pyramid Bonus Deluxe
• Pyramid Bonus Poker
• Pyramid Double Bonus
• All American
• Deuces and Jokers
• Deuces Wild
• Double Joker
• Five Draw Poker
• Jacks or Better
• Joker Poker
• Split Way Royal
• Tens or Better
• Pyramid Aces and Faces
• Pyramid Joker Poker
• Loose Deuces
• Sevens Wild
• Aces and Eights
• Bonus Poker Deluxe
• Double Double Bonus
• ….and many more

After checking out many of these games for myself, I’m thrilled with what 5Dimes has to offer. Not only is their selection of video poker games massive, but the games are also high quality. If you’re into video poker, do yourself a favor and see for yourself how good the choices are at 5Dimes.

Table Games

Luckily, 5Dimes also doesn’t lack when it comes to their lineup of casino table games. Across their three online casinos, I found more than 50 different casino game options. For table games, their Jackpot Casino provided the most significant set of table games possibilities. In the list below, I’ve compiled the top table games available on 5Dimes.

• American Blackjack
• Single Deck BJ
• European Blackjack
• 21 Burn Blackjack
• Super 7 Blackjack
• Pirate 21
• Pontoon
• Baccarat
• Pai Gow Poker
• Caribbean Poker
• Ride’m Poker
• Oasis Poker
• Triple Edge Poker
• American Roulette
• European Roulette
• Craps
• Three Card Rummy
• Red Dog
• Let ‘Em Ride
• Match Play 21
• Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack
• Super 21
• Spanish Blackjack
• ….and many more

I really like this set of table games that 5Dimes offers their clients. Thanks to the mix of games across their three online casinos, 5Dimes has just about everyone covered. You’d be hard-pressed not to locate a table game that you like.

While testing these games out for myself, I noticed that these table games were top notch. The graphics of these games were stunning, and the user interface made them all super easy to use.

Slots

For those of you into online slots, you’re in for a treat at 5Dimes. You’ll find a large selection of nearly 200 different slot games across their three online casinos. Below, I’ve pulled together a list of some of the top slot games available on 5Dimes.

• Lucky 6
• Super 6
• Mamma Mia
• Vegas
• Arrival
• Jackpot Jamba
• Lucky 7
• 7^th Heaven
• Viking Age
• Royal Reels
• Legend of the Nile
• Stampede
• Blood Eternal
• Giovanni’s Gems
• Fire and Steel
• Magic Shoppe
• The Angler
• Kawaii Kitty
• Sin City Nights
• Slot Father 2
• Great 88
• Fa-Fa Twins
• Charms & Clovers
• and many more!

Besides just the massive set of slot game options, 5Dimes also offers many different types of slot games. I located jackpot games, bonus round games, and multi-reel game options. I’m delighted with the diversity of slot games at 5Dimes.

I located a handful of name-brand games in their casino game lineup. Samples included The Big Bopper and The Three Stooges. While it is great that they had some name-brand games, the majority of their slot games were either generic games or knock-off games. In the future, I’d like to see them add some more name-brand games since they tend to provide clients with a better overall gaming experience.

Finally, the slot game graphics at 5Dimes were incredible. While they were all good, I located some very cool 3D slot games in their mix of options. I enjoy the added visual effects that only 3D games can provide.

Live Casino

5Dimes has a quality setup when it comes to live dealer casino games. At 5Dimes, you’re able to choose from four different live dealer casino games. I’ve listed these gaming choices out below so that you can see if your favorite one made the cut at 5Dimes.

• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Super 6

I’m incredibly pleased with what 5Dimes has to offer for their live dealer games. I like that they have the primary live dealer games covered, and it’s rare to find a site offering Super 6 in the live format. I tested out the live dealer games and saw that they had outstanding graphics and audio quality. If you’re into live dealer games, be sure to check out the live casino at 5Dimes!

Casual Games

When you’re ready for a change of pace from your traditional casino games, 5Dimes also offers a set of casual games to choose from. In their lineup of casual games, you’ll find selections such as keno and bingo. In the Grand Casino, you’ll find five casual games, while the Jackpot Casino offers three of them. Finally, the Bonus Casino at 5Dimes also provides two different casual casino games. I’ve gone ahead and listed out the full lineup of casual casino games available across the three online casinos on 5Dimes.

• Video Bingo
• Video Keno
• Predictor
• Virtual Racebook 3D
• Skratcherz
• Treasure Tree

From a quality perspective, the casual games at 5Dimes all seemed to have very nice graphics and underlying software. Even with some overlap of the games across the three different casinos, it is fun to have some variety thanks to each casino having a modified version of the same game.

Overall, the casino game selection on 5Dimes is massive. Thanks to their three different casinos, there is no shortage of gaming options. My only suggestion would be for them to get some more name-brand games for their lineup in the future. Other than that, they’ve done a fantastic job assembling a fantastic batch of casino games for their clients.

Promotions

My friends, if you’re looking to score some bonus cash, look no further. 5Dimes blew me away by offering one of the most extensive lists of promotions that I’ve come across in a long time. The cool part about all of their promotions is that they cover all parts of the site from the sportsbook to their online casinos. Below, I’ve provided the full scoop on all of the current promotions that 5Dimes offers at this time. Use this list to get an idea of which ones might be the best fit for your gambling needs.

Sportsbook New Player Reward

If you’re new to 5Dimes, they offer a stellar sportsbook welcome bonus through their Sportsbook New Player Reward. Under the terms and conditions of this promotion, you can earn up to $520 in free play bonus cash when making your initial deposit at 5Dimes! To claim the full $520 maximum bonus, you’ll just need to deposit $2,000 or more for your initial deposit.

The amount of bonus that you’ll earn depends on exactly how much you deposit. 5Dimes will provide a 50% match on the first $100 to $400. That alone can help you pick up $200. However, they don’t just stop there. For all deposits over $400 and up to $2,000, 5Dimes also will provide a 20% bonus match for those funds.

Unfortunately, this reward is not automated by 5Dimes. If you’d like to claim this bonus, you’ll need to contact their team within 24 hours after you’ve made your opening deposit to let them know that you want to claim this offer.

5dimes.com

Sportsbook Reload Reward

When you need to add more funds to your 5Dimes sportsbook account, don’t forget to take advantage of their Sportsbook Reload Reward. For sportsbook reloads between $100 and $2,500, 5Dimes will tack on an additional 20% bonus in the form of free play. That means that you can score upwards of $500 in free play bonus if you reload your account with $2,500 or more.

One thing worth noting about the fine print of this offer is that you manually have to request this reward from their team. Once you’ve made your reload deposit, remember to contact their team using one of the three convenient contact methods. Just let them know that you’d like for your Sportsbook Reload Reward to be applied to your reload deposit, and they’ll get you taken care of.

Sportsbook Reduced Juice Rewards Program

The Reduced Juice Rewards Program at 5Dimes is their most popular promotion. With this offer, you’ll receive reduced juice sportsbook wagers on nearly all of the major sports, including football and basketball. The main perk of this program is that you’ll score -105 pricing on eligible bets. That represents a 50% savings compared to the typical -110 pricing found in most sportsbooks! The big takeaway is that lower pricing means you make more profit when you correctly pick your bets. Eligible wagers for this program must be between $1 and $500. Check out the 5Dimes site to view the full terms and conditions of this promotional offer.

Sportsbook 30% Super Saver Reward Program

For players that wager parlays often, the 30% Super Saver Reward Program from 5Dimes can offer you some incredible value. If you join this reward program, you’ll earn a massive 30% discount and increased payouts of nearly all parlays provided by 5Dimes. What I like about this promotion is that it gives -107 pricing every day for parlays, which helps boost your profit when you get your wager right.

The program is usable on many favorite sports, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and more. To view the full list of available sports and wager types, see the 5Dimes website. If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, just contact the customer service team at 5Dimes and let them know that you’d like to join this reward program.

Bonus Casino All Red 5-5-5-5 Bonus

If you’re into blackjack, then you might want to check out this promotion from 5Dimes. With this promotional offer, you’re able to earn up to $50,000 of cash if you can get a hand with an all red 5-5-5-5. To qualify, you’ll need to be playing on specific All Red 5-5-5-5 blackjack games in the Bonus Casino. The table options will be notated for payouts of $5,000, $25,000, and $50,000. If you happen to be dealt an all red 5-5-5-5, you’ll win the prize specified for that table.

One big thing worth noting is that winning this prize is not automated. If you happen to hit the all red 5-5-5-5 combination, you’ll have to contact customer service to claim your prize immediately. When you reach their support team, you’ll need to specify the exact time that you hit your all red 5-5-5-5 hand. In the future, I’d like to see 5Dimes automate this process so that the players don’t have to jump through extra hoops to claim their prize.

Lotto New Player Reward

5Dimes offers a great welcome bonus for those players interested in playing lotto games on their site. With their Lucky 77 promotion, you can earn $77 of free lotto play when you deposit precisely $77 using a credit card or e-wallet banking method. What’s cool about this promotion is that it offers a 100% match on your lotto deposit.

As with many of the other promotional offers from 5Dimes, you’ll need to claim this offer manually. Once you’ve made your $77 deposit using one of the approved banking methods, don’t forget to contact the 5Dimes team. Just let them know that you’d like the Lucky 77 Reward added to your account, and they’ll get you taken care of.

Racebook Track Odds Plus 10% Promo

If you’re into race bets, you’ll want to check out this promotion from 5Dimes. Under the terms and conditions of this promotion, you can get an extra 10% tacked onto your winnings from many of the tracks in the 5Dimes Plus 10% Racebook. Using this promotion, you’ll walk away with extra cash if you’re able to pick winning bets correctly. Check out the 5Dimes site to view the full terms and conditions of this offer.

Refer A Friend Promotion

At 5Dimes, you can pick up some extra bonus cash by referring your friend to join you on the action at 5Dimes. Thanks to their Refer a Friend Promotion, you can earn 20% of your friend’s opening deposit. What’s great about this offer is that the maximum bonus is $200. To score the maximum bonus, your friend will simply need to make an initial deposit of $1,000 or more.

Overall, I’m very impressed by the large selection of bonus options that 5Dimes brings to the table. It seriously seems like there is something for everyone on the list. My only complaint is that too many of these bonuses are manual, putting it on the client to follow up with their team after the fact to claim their bonus. Moving forward, it would be really awesome if 5Dimes could automate this with the use of promo claim codes. Even without those at this time, 5Dimes gives clients plenty of opportunities to earn bonus cash across their entire site.

Banking

During my complete review of 5Dimes, I took the time to investigate their banking options. I wanted to find out what methods 5Dimes offered their clients to move money onto and off of their site. I’ll provide you the full scoop on deposit and withdrawal methods available from 5Dimes in the sections below.

Deposit Methods

At 5Dimes, you’ll find a selection of six different deposit banking options. For your convenience, I’ve listed the details below on each one of them so that you’ll know what you need to know before you deposit on their site.

• Credit Cards
• Person-to-Person Transactions
• Money Order
• Bitcoin
• Sportsbook Transfer
• Account-to-Account Transfer

Withdrawal Methods

One of the great things about 5Dimes is that they offer some nice banking methods to make withdrawals. This makes it even easier for you to get your funds off of their site when the time comes to do so. At this time, 5Dimes provides clients with access to six banking options for withdrawals. I’ve detailed each one of them below, along with relevant information relating to them.

• Person-to-Person Transactions
• Cashier Check
• Money Order
• Bitcoin
• Bank Wire
• Account-to-Account Transfer

Overall, I’m quite impressed with the banking options provided by 5Dimes. Their selection is decent in comparison to many of the other online sportsbooks and casinos out there. Even though they have a fairly extensive collection, I still noticed a couple of banking options missing that I’d like to see them add to their mix. Those banking options would be PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller. Each of these banking options is very popular for the online market. By adding these options, 5Dimes would be able to give their clients more selection in the future.

Mobile Friendliness

Another thing that I investigated about 5Dimes was the mobile-friendliness of their site. In today’s age, more folks are using their tablets or smartphones to do their online gambling. This is why I take the time to check out the mobile-friendliness of any given site that I’m reviewing. Below, I’ll break down my thoughts on several different sections of the 5Dimes site.

Mobile Sportsbook

I was delighted to see that 5Dimes offered a mobile-friendly version of their online sportsbook. Using both my phone and tablet, I was able to quickly move about the sportsbook to find and place my wagers. I’m highly impressed with how good the look and feel of their mobile sportsbook is.

Mobile Casino Games

If you enjoy playing online casino games from your phone or tablet, you’ll be happy to know that 5Dimes offers mobile versions of their casino games. In fact, 5Dimes has a mobile version of all three of their online casinos that I described above.

For my review, I utilized both my tablet and my smartphone to test the 5Dimes mobile casino. I was pleased with the responsiveness of the site to my screen size and the quality of the game graphics. From what I was able to see, it looks like all games available on the desktop version of the site are also available on the mobile site.

Mobile App

Currently, 5Dimes does not offer a mobile app for their site for Android or iPhone users. However, since the mobile version of their website is so well developed, I don’t see any immediate need for them to develop a mobile app.

5Dimes has done an outstanding job with developing a quality mobile-friendly version of their site. Thanks to their efforts, more people can use their website to place their sportsbook and play their favorite casino games from anywhere as long as they have an internet connection and a smart device. Pull out your phone or tablet and see for yourself just how good 5Dimes is on a mobile device.

Customer Service

Next up, I took a dive into the customer service at 5Dimes. With everything looking as good as it has thus far into my review, I had high expectations for what they would bring to the table from the support side of things. Luckily, I was not disappointed.

Currently, 5Dimes provides their clients with three different options to contact their customer service team. Those three options are email, telephone, and live chat. I like this mix of contact options, as they are all super convenient ways for clients to reach their team. With these three contact options, 5Dimes is offering their clients more ways to contact their team than many other online sportsbooks and casinos.

I immediately noticed that 5Dimes offers 24/7 customer support. This is huge! What I like about it is that it means clients can reach someone at any hour. This is a nice touch on their part, as many of their competitors only offer customer service during certain hours of the day.

The first contact option that I put to the test was email. At several points during my review, I sent off questions via email to their team. Luckily, I received fast replies each time from their side. Not only were the responses quick, but they were also complete and helpful. If you’d like to reach their support team via email, just send an email to [email protected]

Next, I wanted to try out their phone support. On two different occasions, I called into their support center. As with their email support, I also received stellar support from their phone team. I was thrilled that I didn’t have to wait on hold for a long time to be connected with an agent. To reach 5Dimes via telephone, we have listed the different departments you can reach them at.

• General Customer Service
• New Accounts Assistance
• Sports Wagering
• Horse Wagering

Finally, I made sure to test out the contact option that I was most excited about: their live chat functionality. For me, live chat is the preferred method when I need assistance from a site. I’m a big fan of how fast and easy it is. Not surprisingly, the live chat support at 5Dimes was also on point, and I received stellar help from their team. If you’d like to use the live chat functionality to reach the 5Dimes support team, just look for the live help link on any page. After clicking on that, you’ll find yourself instantly connected with one of their helpful support agents.

As a whole, the customer service at 5Dimes is spectacular. With 24/7 support and three very convenient contact options, 5Dimes has created a stellar win in the customer service department. Based on my experience, I have little reason to doubt that you’ll experience anything short of fantastic customer service at 5Dimes.

Would I Play at 5Dimes Sportsbook and Casino?

I have no doubts at all about wagering my money on 5Dimes. Based on the length of time that they’ve been in business and the quality sportsbook and online casino that they have developed, I feel very safe playing there. As you’ve seen from the sections above, 5Dimes has gone above and beyond by orchestrating one of the best online places to gamble. If you’ve never checked it out yourself, give it a shot and see why 5Dimes is one of the best in the industry!

This review was made by: LegitGamblingSites.com Rating: 4.6 out of 5

5dimes Sports Betting

5Dimes, a popular Costa Rica-based sportsbook, has reached a $46.8 million settlement with the U.S. government following a federal money-laundering investigation, according to a settlement agreement obtained by ESPN on Wednesday.

5Dimes agreed to pay $15 million in cash, forfeit more than $30 million in assets and stop accepting wagers from U.S. customers while operating out of Costa Rica, according to the settlement agreement reached with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Easten District of Pennsylvania.

Five Dimes Sports Betting

The settlement also absolves Laura Varela, the widow of 5Dimes owner William Sean Creighton, of any criminal conduct alleged against the sportsbook. Varela assumed responsibility for 5Dimes' assets after her husband was kidnapped in September 2018 and found dead a year later, but she did not have 'day-to-day authority' over its operations, according to the settlement.

'The investigation was a complete success from our perspective,' Michael Lowe, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, told ESPN. 'There was gambling going on, but we discovered it, we put a stop to it.'

Five Dimes Online Betting

The non-prosecution agreement allows 5Dimes and Varela to pursue opportunities in the expanding American sports betting market. Varela, who fully cooperated with the investigation, made 'significant changes' to 5Dimes's operations that make it 'suitable for participating in lawful gaming operations across the world,' according to the settlement agreement.

'We achieved the objective, which is, she is compliant with U.S. federal law right now,' Maria M. Carrillo, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, told ESPN. 'What that means for her is she is not operating in violation of U.S. law, and she is not actively taking bets from U.S. bettors.

'Whether she's positioned well for regulators, that's up for the regulators to decide,' Carrillo said. '[5Dimes] certainly is no longer in violation of federal law.'

In an interview with ESPN, Varela said she is ' very, very happy and very excited about what the new chapter of 5Dimes can be.'

Creighton, a native of West Virginia, launched 5Dimes around 2000. At a time when sports betting in the U.S was restricted to primarily Nevada, 5Dimes grew it into one of the most popular online sportsbooks that served American bettors and eventually attracted attention from federal investigators.

In 2016, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, revealed it was investigating 5Dimes for money laundering, according to a seizure warrant filed in U.S. District Court that year. In the warrant, an agent detailed how he believed 5Dimes instructed bettors based in the U.S. to use gift cards as a way to place and later cash out bets. Creighton was never formally charged; however, the investigation remained open for years.

5Dimes used third-party payment processors to accept illegal payments from U.S. customers, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in the settlement agreement. The third parties processed credit card transactions for 5Dimes that concealed the nature of the charges, and received funds from U.S. customers' credit cards that were then transferred to bank accounts of shell companies operated by Creighton, according to the settlement.

Varela, through her attorneys, contacted the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in the spring of 2019 and offered her cooperation to settle the case. According to the settlement, she helped retrieve assets, but the parties agreed that her cooperation 'did not include information about the identities of individual U.S.-based customes.' Gold coins, cryptocurrency, funds from the sale of season tickets to the Pittsburgh Pirates and West Virginia University basketball and football, and a 1948 George Mikan rookie basketball card that Creighton purchased for about $400,000 are among the forfeited assets.

The Department of Homeland Security gifted the Mikan card to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C, according to the settlement agreement.

On Sept. 7, 5Dimes posted a notice on its website that it would stop accepting online bets from U.S.-based customers and instructed them to withdraw funds by Sept. 25. Any funds not requested by bettors before the deadline will be turned over to Epiq, a third-party claims administrator who will help the distribution process. Any funds not claimed by Sept. 30, 2021, will be forfeited to the U.S government, according to terms in the settlement.

Varela's attorneys, Stephen A. Miller and Barry Boss of firm Cozen O'Connor, said 5Dimes has established a new corporate entity, 5D Americas LLC, in the State of Delaware, as the sportsbook eyes the U.S. betting market. Legal sportsbooks are operating in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

As part of the settlement, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said, at Varela's request, it will answer questions from interested parties, including state regulatory authorities, regarding 5Dimes and Varela.

Creighton was abducted by four men in a rented grey pickup truck around 10 p.m., on Sept. 24, 2018, after leaving the 5Dimes office in San Pedro, the Costa Rica judicial investigation department (OIJ) said last year. The kidnappers demanded a $5 million ransom and received $1 million from Creighton's family, but Creighton was not returned, OIJ said.

A year after Creighton's disappearance, the OIJ reported finding his body in a cemetery in the small fishing town of Queops, Costa Rica, approximately a three-hour drive from where investigators believe he was abducted.

In January 2019, authorities conducted raids in Costa Rica and Spain, leading to the arrest of 12 people believed to be involved in Creighton's disappearance, according to an OIJ statement at the time. Three suspects were extradited from Spain to Costa Rica in April 2019 and, as of September 2019, were being investigated for the crime of extortive kidnapping, according to the Costa Rica Office of Public Ministry.

The Assistant Prosecutor's Office against Drug Trafficking and Related Crimes for Costa Rica told ESPN in an Sept. 17 email that the case against Creighton's alleged kidnappers is in the 'final investigation phase.'

According to the settlement, Creighton was the founder and had exclusive control of 5Dimes until his disappearance and death. Varela told ESPN she had never been involved with the operation of 5Dimes and that the management team in place continued to run the sportsbook following Creighton's disappearance.

'Months kept going by, and he was not coming back, and the reality also starts hitting, that's really when I realized the best thing for me and my family to do was to look for legal counsel,' Varela told ESPN in an interview conducted on Zoom.

Creighton grew up in Bridgeport, West Virginia. After graduating from West Virginia University in 1998 with a degree in business administration, he moved to Costa Rica with a small group of friends to launch 5Dimes. He was 43 at the time of his disappearance.

Varela says the loss of her husband, the father of her two young children, is a tragedy she doesn't believe she'll ever get over. 'You just learn how to live with it,' she said.