Two Southern California men pleaded guilty to stealing more than $274,000 worth of cash and goods by robbing victims who were leaving casinos. A new report said that Dereck Nathan Lopez, 22, and Juan Gabriel Gonzalez, 23, have been in custody since May 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The pair admitted to at least 15 robberies and attempted robberies committed in Los Angeles County from May 2023 to December 2023. Lopez and Gonzalez would enter local casinos using fake names and would look for gamblers who appeared to be winning or were cashing in many chips.
For this report, SBS will be going over the latest gambling updates coming from the Sunshine State, along with even more notes and information you can find here at SBS.
Noted in the same article, they would follow the victims outside, trailing their vehicles before ambushing them on the highway, prosecutors said. While brandishing firearms, they would smash the victim’s car windows and demand that they hand over their money before fleeing the scene. In an October 26th incident, they followed a victim around Hustler Casino in Gardena. They watched as he cashed out $11,000 in casino chips and left the premises. As the victim drove home on the 110 Freeway on-ramp from Redondo Beach Boulevard, the pair stopped the victim’s car.
The criminals opened his car doors, pointed guns at him, and demanded he hand over his money and open his car trunk. They took an additional $1,050 in cash and a set of golf clubs worth around $6,000. In total, the pair had stolen at least $274,600 in cash, casino chips, and other property. On June 4, 2026, Lopez and Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act. Lopez further admitted to illegally possessing firearms and ammunition at his home in December 2023. He is not allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition due to a conviction in San Bernardino County Superior Court for grand theft in November 2023.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 13th. Lopez and Gonzalez have agreed to serve 14 years in federal prison. The case was investigated by the FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control, and the Montebello Police Department.
In other state gaming news, a player in California has won a Match 5 prize from a recent drawing of the Powerball game. However, the drawing did not award the game’s top prize as no one succeeded in matching all six winning numbers. For context, the jackpot for the May 13th drawing stood at $70 million. A hypothetical winner could have either picked the annuity option for the full sum or the one-time lump sum option for $31.6 million.
However, this did not happen since players could not hit all six swimming numbers. For context, the winning combination for the recent drawing, the report noted, was 22-31-52-56-67. The Powerball was 15, and the Power Play multiplier was 2x. While no one matched all numbers, a few players succeeded in matching five of them. As mentioned, one player in California matched the five white numbers to win a Match 5 prize. While the usual Match 5 prize is $1 million ($2 million with Power Play), the player will take home $470, 739 due to the fact that the California Lottery modifies the prizes based on the number of tickets sold.
At the same time, Powerball reported that a total of 9 players have matched four white numbers plus the red Powerball to win the game’s third-tier prize. Two of these lucky ticket-holders had the Power Player feature active and will take home $100,000 each. The rest of the players will get $50,000 each. The jackpot has now reached $86 million with a cash option of $38.8 million, with the next drawing taking place soon.
Per the same article, the Match 5 prize in California followed a short slowdown when no one managed to match the five white numbers for a few drawings. This was not all too surprising since it followed a busy period for the game. Powerball has so far awarded five (5) jackpots in 2026, with the two most recent ones happening only a few weeks ago. The next drawing saw Powerball award yet another jackpot, marking the first time two jackpots have been won in a row since 2021.
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Once you are all up to speed in relation to the latest gambling news coming from the Golden State, make sure to peruse the excellent array of resources available only at SBS. Of course, for additional analysis on the state covered in this article, the California betting sites guide is your must-read resource for all of the latest gambling topics in the Golden State. Conversely, for those who are interested and eligible, the BetOnline sportsbook review rundown is a fantastic resource as well for those interested in learning more about the outlet in question and if it makes sense for you. Finally, for those eligible and on the go, the best betting apps breakdown is a great page as well that goes over the perks of mobile wagering and more.
About the Author
Chris Boline is a Reno-based business development professional and freelance sports writer with over a decade of experience covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, and national football and basketball. His expertise spans the NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and motorsports, along with topical news, marketing, and promotional content. A proud University of Nevada graduate, Chris earned both his BS in Management & Economics (2015) and MBA (2023). He is active in the Reno community, serving on boards such as the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET, and the College of Business Alumni Association, where he was past president (2022–23). Notable honors include: - Two-time University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year honoree (2017, 2021) - 2021 NCET Professional Services Organization of the Year (with TAC) - 2016–17 Reno Bighorns MVP, awarded by the Sacramento Kings - Nevada Press Association Award for Best Sports Column (2015) - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Nevada Sagebrush Chris blends his passion for sports with a strong background in sales, marketing, and community engagement.
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