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U.S. Arrests Online Gambling Company Chairman

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the pokemon-next-on-their-hit-list dept.

imaginaryelf writes "Reuters reports that U.S. authorities have arrested Peter Dicks, the chairman of U.K. based online sports betting company Sportingbet Plc, while he was passing through Dallas. Just two months ago, the CEO of another U.K. based online sports betting company, BetOnSports, was arrested on U.S. soil as well. They are both charged with violating the 1961 Federal Wire Act, which can be broadly interpreted as declaring all forms of online gambling illegal in the U.S. Is online gambling the Alcohol Prohibition of the 21st century?"

3 of 634 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Our laws, your country... by b0r1s · · Score: 4, Informative

    They applied it in the US - if he didn't want to be subject to US laws, all he had to do was not fly into the US. Problem solved.

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  2. Re:I dont see the logic in this by TrappedByMyself · · Score: 4, Informative

    Well, go to betonsports.com

    "To contact BetonSports Customer Service please call toll free 1-866-481-3057. You may also send email requests to:
    customer_service@betonsports.com
    Customer Service hours are Monday to Friday, 10am - 10pm EST. "

    Hmm, looks like a US number and a US timezone there. May be UK based, but they are definitely targeting business to the US

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  3. Re:Our laws, your country... by slarabee · · Score: 5, Informative
    And the reason he wasn't arrested during the previous ten years of the gambling site's existence? He has passed through the United States multiple times in the past decade while participating in this orgy of criminal vice. He has even held press conferences in the United States during this time. Officials in the federal government were well aware Carruthers was in their jurisdiction yet have done nothing.

    Could it have something to do with a vote dealing with a ban on Internet gambling coming up in the legislature in the next couple weeks? Could it have something to do with the fact Carruthers has been a vocal opponent of the upcoming bill. Strange that. The man is arrested based on his involvement in running an Internet gambling company. Yet referencing the vote on banning Internet gambling requires using the future tense.

    Perhaps using a 1961 law that only questionably relates to the Internet and even more questionably relates to an individual operating out of a different country is not quite so sound...

    http://www.reason.com/sullum/072606.shtml

    http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2006/09/sullum_ on_internet_gambling_ar.php