Jake's 58 casino warns customers of post falsely claiming the casino has online wagering

Jake's 58 casino is warning its customers not to fall for a scam alleging that the popular Suffolk County video lottery terminal parlor is now accepting wagers for online gambling.

A message on the Islandia casino's website and social media sites on Monday advised customers of a "fraudulent online post claiming to offer online gambling services with Jake's 58."

The message continued that Jake's 58 does not "offer any form of online gambling" and the casino is not affiliated with any website, app or platform claiming to offer those services.

In recent days, several posts have appeared on Facebook and Instagram from a company calling itself "Top Slots," claiming to represent Jake's 58 and announcing the casino is now offering online wagering. One of the posts claims to offer $1,500 in bonus points with Jake's for registering with the site.

Suffolk OTB president and chief executive Phil Boyle said at least one customer provided the scammer with their bank account information and had an undetermined amount of money stolen.

Boyle urged customers not to click on the link, download any content or provide Top Slots with their credit card.

"Right away we knew this was a scam, because we have no online betting except for horse racing with OTB," Boyle said in an interview Monday. "We notified our customers through a vast email. We put it up on the television sets in the casino. We notified law enforcement of this scam. And we're just trying to get the word out as much as possible for people not to believe it has anything to do with Jake's."

A similar scam, Boyle said, has hit other video lottery terminal parlors downstate and in Western New York.

Suffolk police said they were not aware of any police reports filed in relation to the scam.

While it's legal to place bets on sports in New York, online casino gambling is illegal in all but just a handful of states nationwide, including New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

"Anybody that says, 'hey, come to this website and bet on poker or blackjack or slot machines with Jake's,' it's illegal," Boyle said. "And we have nothing to do with it. It's a scam."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.