Oak Bluffs selectmen reacted with outrage this week to a video posted on a national animal rights group Web site that suggests members of the town police department had allowed an illegal betting operation to take place during the annual Monster Shark tournament.

“These accusations are totally unfounded. Our employees behave in a very forthright, honest manner. The suggestion the police department did something wrong infuriates me . . . anytime someone tries to disparage our people I take it very seriously . . . [that] video is way off base,” said selectman and board chairman Ron DiOrio.

The video was prepared by the Humane Society of the United States, which has been an outspoken foe of the shark tournament, held each year in July. In its latest jab, the society has sent a letter to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha’s Coakley requesting an investigation into what it alleges is an illegal gambling scheme that took place during the tournament. Among other things, the society claims that more than $300,000 in illegal betting took place during the three-day tournament.

The Web site video clip suggests that the police department stood by while fishermen from the tournament placed wagers on the outcome of the tournament, possibly in violation of Massachusetts law.

On Tuesday Mr. DiOrio, a vocal opponent of the shark tournament in the past, moved to have town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport review the video and see if the town has grounds for legal action against the humane society. The motion was approved unanimously with little discussion.

Apparently acting undercover, the society filmed events at the tournament weigh station, in a fishing boat, and at the Lampost nightclub, where the event was headquartered.

The five-page letter to the attorney general dated Sept. 10 takes aim at betting pools known as added entry divisions, where participants essentially bet on themselves for a chance to win cash prizes. The added entry division consists of four separate divisions; teams can participate in any or all of the divisions by paying entry fees ranging from $600 to $5,000.

The letter claims the bets were illegal because they were written down and recorded on the tournament’s entry form.

The attorney general’s office responded on Sept. 17 acknowledging receipt of the complaint; the letter does not indicate whether a formal investigation will take place.

The humane society video alleges that “betting took place under the close watch of a local police officer,” while showing the outline of a police officer who cannot be identified. The narrator goes onto allege that a portion of the money collected is “paid out to Oak Bluffs police and harbor patrol.”

The entry form for the tournament says that 95 per cent of all the money will be paid out, while the remaining five per cent will be divided among different town departments: one per cent to the harbor patrol boat, two per cent to purchase satellite tags for sharks, and two per cent for police details, insurance and banking fees.

Mr. DiOrio said he met with police chief Erik Blake and harbor master Todd Alexander earlier in the week who both said they did not believe there was anything illegal about the added entry fees.

Town emergency management coordinator Peter Martell said yesterday he talked with Steve James, president of the Boston Big Game Club and tournament organizer, who told him the money collected is deposited into a bank off-Island before being distributed. Winners are also required to pay taxes on their winnings, he said.

Mr. Martell is in charge of storing the harbor patrol boat; funding for the boat comes directly from the emergency management coordinator’s budget. He said police consulted the Cape and Islands district attorney several years ago to make sure the added entry fees were legal, and received assurances the practice was allowed.

“This is a big deal over nothing. The accusation is more damaging then anything,” Mr. Martell said.

Selectman Greg Coogan said the humane society is simply using the town of Oak Bluffs to further its cause.

“They don’t care about the town of Oak Bluffs, they care about generating headlines. The real problem when it comes to shark [hunting] is in the Asian markets, not a shark tournament where 20 fish are taken. But for some reason they choose to spend all their resources here, and in the process totally smear our good name,” Mr. Coogan said, adding:

“And these accusations are silly . . . what’s next, are we going to ban penny-a-point cribbage games?”