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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?"

20 of 634 comments (clear)

  1. Common sense by kooky45 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you live outside of the US and have done something that the US have made illegal then don't go there.

    1. Re:Common sense by AceCaseOR · · Score: 4, Insightful

      IANAL, but I think the prosecutors will make an argument that Mr. Dicks knowingly provided a service that was illegal in the US, to US citizens who were on US soil at the time. On the one hand, it's a clever way of getting the guy. On the other hand, it could set up some dangerous precidents. Getting a hacker under US law because the server he penetrated was on US soil is one thing. However, the strategy I think they're going to use could, in theory, be used by the **AA against, say, The Pirate Bay.

      --
      Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you in your sleep.
    2. Re:Common sense by ScrewMaster · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Insightful? I think not. Here, let me fix it for you: "If you live out side of the {insert any country here} and have done something that the {insert any country here} has made illegal then don't go there.

      Our government isn't in the habit of arresting foreign nationals for activities that are perfectly legal in their country of origin. But if he was providing illegal services to U.S. citizens then he put himself at risk. Why that is such a shock to you people I don't know, unless you just need another excuse to America-bash. People complain bitterly when a Google or a Yahoo complies with the laws of another country when they disagree with those laws, fully expecting that those companies should simply break that country's laws with impunity. And maybe they should: but the principle works both ways ... if you break our laws, even over the Internet, we have the right to subject you to those laws when you're on our territory. That's how it is anywhere in the world.

      Now, having said that ... I'd rather our government kept its grubby little paternalistic fingers out of our lives and let us give all our hard-earned cash to crooked foreigners if we so choose. One of the most cherished rights that Americans have always enjoyed is the right to go to Hell in our own way. But unfortunately we have a lot of people in power over here that think they know better than we do what is best for us, want to force their pattern for living on everyone else.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    3. Re:Common sense by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Don't laugh - a lot of people are paying extra so they won't have a stopover in the US on the way to another destination, just to avoid the hassles, even if they have never done anything wrong.

      This is just going to make the situation worse. The losers are the US air carriers, and services based in the US.

  2. Our laws, your country... by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Its another great example of the US deciding that its perfectly okay to have their laws apply to people from other countries, but the idea of an international criminal court that might try CIA and US Soldiers for torture and crimes against humanity then the answer is no.

    Remind me again why people think the US is imperialist?

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
    1. Re:Our laws, your country... by A+beautiful+mind · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So you're saying the server hosting the site somehow flew into the USA?

      The only way they could have arrested him legally, if he broke a law in the USA WHILE in the USA.

      You cannot break US laws outside the USA, so in the UK what he does is perfectly legal.

      Why isn't the british diplomacy concerned about the kidnapping of a UK citizen? In the 18th century they would have sent the gunboats already.

      --
      It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
      Be yourself no matter what they say
    2. Re:Our laws, your country... by wiggles · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not to defend this action, but the guy did commit a crime on US soil from the UK. I'm sure the US government's reasoning is something along these lines: By setting up a server in the UK to allow gambling in the US, the crime (slob in his underwear betting on cockroach races at 4am or whatever) was committed on US soil. The crime was only facilitated by offshore people and servers. They can use the same rationale to arrest and try South American drug lords, sea pirates (Avast!), money launderers who use offshore accounts, etc. They even have arrest warrants waiting to be served for the members of the DeBeers cartel for antitrust violations and contempt.

      Here's an analogy. Say I'm in Mexico with a trebuchet and tons of pot. Let's say for the sake of argument that we paid off the federales, and we can operate with impunity. Let's say you're in Texas with a catapult. If you send me money via your catapult and I send you bales of dope via my trebuchet, I'm guilty of selling drugs in the US, even though I never set foot on US soil.

      See?

    3. Re:Our laws, your country... by Aladrin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So you're saying that while he was in the US, he shut his company down or somehow else prevented US citizens from illegally using his site?

      He WAS in the US while breaking this law.

      I was leaning towards his rights until I found out that his site lists US phone numbers and EST calling times, and 77% of his business is from the US. It isn't like he's got a few people he didn't manage to keep off the site. He actively encourages them to break the law.

      Disclaimer: I stole those facts from above posts. They could be totally wrong. But I doubt it.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    4. Re:Our laws, your country... by A+beautiful+mind · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If we would accept your reasoning, why is that, that a citizen of the USA from a state where gambling is illegal can go to Las Vegas, gamble, then go back to his home state and NOT get arrested?

      --
      It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
      Be yourself no matter what they say
  3. U.S. a no go zone by ConfusedSelfHating · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In the near future, the United States of America may be a country that non-Americans fear to travel to. With the DMCA, the Patriot Act, association with gambling sites, corporate deals with Iran, corporate deals with Cuba ... you just simply do not know whether or not you will be arrested when entering the United States. If your non-American company did business with Cuba, could you be arrested? If you engaged in fair use of media in your country, could you be arrested for DMCA violations?

    You won't know until you are on American soil.

    1. Re:U.S. a no go zone by syousef · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I stopped wanting to go to the US a long time ago. My last name is Yousef and I'm very arabic looking. Never mind that my family's background is Christian not Muslim, that I don't believe in God, or that the work I do required security checks and clearance before I was employed. Last nail in the coffin was when they started fingerprinting everyone. I don't want to be treated like a criminal and randomly finger printed and searched all the way there and back. That's not something I want to do for a good job let alone for a holiday.

      In 1998 I went to the US to do training and none of this was a concern. The programmers boot camp I went to sucked by on one of my two weekends off in the 10 week hell I went to the Kennedy Space Center and I loved it! I always wanted to go back and take a look at the Grand Canyon. Now I wouldn't go if they paid me.

      Fuck 9/11. Fuck the terrorists. Fuck the people who've used it as a power grab. Fuck the blind sheep who'll let them until its too late. I've had a gut full of this bad behaviour from all sides. ...And if anyone wants to mod this as flamebait, that's fine be my guest, but before you do read the definition of a flame. I'm not saying these things just to piss people off. This is genuinely how I feel, and I'm not alone.

      --
      These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  4. still wonder how this is illegal for a non-residen by mabhatter654 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I still wonder how this is illegal for a non-resident, hosted off shore, with no servers in the US at all. Now it should probably be illegal for US citizens.. many individual states have laws against gambling in any form...but that would be a state issue to their citizens. I sort of understand how the Federal Wire laws make state crimes illegal because you "used" a federal regulated wire service, but I can't understand how they can arrest citizens of other countries for running the service legally in their own country.


    Of course, were the USA we can do what ever we want... I often wonder how we'd react if say Bill Gates was arrested in Communist China for being an "obscenely rich capitalist".. .I'm sure that's still illegal over there, and Microsoft sells to China.. so why should the reds take a chance at getting him? It's the same basic principle.

  5. Re:I dont see the logic in this by MBCook · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He let's Americans gamble on his site, so he lets them break the law. That's illegal. At least that what I'm guessing their logic is. My guess is that their claim to him is a little tenuous to say the least. I bet he refused to bar access from US betters. The US's stance is hardly unknown, especially if you are in that industry.

    I think that "online gambling is prohibition" comment is rather ridiculous. Online gambling is something people do from home, where one of the big things about prohibition is that it removed a common social activity (going to a bar with friends and to meet people). They are nothing alike except that they are both bans on something popular, and (are likey to get) overturned.

    Don't forget that there is a REASON online gambling is still illegal. While that act can be intrepreted that way, Congress could have easily changed that by passing a law. However, don't think that all the casinos in Vegas and elsewhere like the idea of online gambling. That could take away a LOT of a their business if it was legalized. I'd be amamzed if they weren't pouring out money to keep online gambling illegal.

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
  6. 21st Century Prohibition by subreality · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Is online gambling the Alcohol Prohibition of the 21st century?


    No. Marijuana is the Alcohol Prohibition of the 21st century.
  7. Re:Like driving on the left hand side of the road? by operagost · · Score: 4, Insightful
    It is nuts to arrest somebody for a "crime" committed elsewhere (where it is not a crime). For example, in many parts of the world civilians are not permitted to own or carry handguns. Should somebody be arrested on landing in the UK because they happened to own/carry a handgun while in the US?
    No, but if they sold and shipped the handgun to someone who lives in the UK they might be.
    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  8. Not the first time by ReverendLoki · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Remember Dmitry Sklyarov?

    Perhaps this is all a fiendish plot to cut down on US tourism...

    --
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  9. Re:I dont see the logic in this by TubeSteak · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Don't forget that there is a REASON online gambling is still illegal.
    Because offshore-hosted online gambling can't be taxed?

    Casino winnings are taxed

    If Congress could figure out a way to tax all online gambling winnings, they'd do it in a heartbeat. (Specifically winnings paid out by companies outside the U.S.A.)

    As it is now, if you win from some offshore gambling outfit, it is up to you to report your winnings... or not.

    To support the Submitter/Editor's assertion that online gambling is similar to prohibition: Politicians caved in to the Prohibitionists because income from the relatively new income tax (just 7 years old) made it possible for the Federal Gov't to do without the cash from liquor taxes.

    Prohibition ended in 1934, because income taxes tanked ~60% during the first few years of the great depression.

    To summarize: Because (1) the tax revenues wouldn't be that large/needed and/or (2) Congress can't figure out how to enforce taxes, they will continue to 'ban' online gambling. Once 1 &/or 2 gets changes, they'll reconsider.
    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  10. No. The War Against Drugs by nead · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is the Prohibition of the 21st Century.

  11. Re:No, not gambling... by rainman_bc · · Score: 4, Insightful


    If a smoker wants to smoke in a public park, let them. It's a public place meant for everyone. You can't please everyone.

    If a smoker comes though and blows smoke in my general direction, it should be considered socially acceptable for me to go fart in that smoker's space too.

    Thing is, my space belongs to me. I find having cigarette smoke blown in my direction akin to invading my space. I find it more disgusting than the smell of fart, and more harmful to my health.

    I think we should start a campaign where we go and fart in smoker's spaces.

    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
  12. They ask if you're american and block you. by neo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What's an international company supposed to do to keep americans from using their freedom? They ask if you're from the US. They tell you to check and see if it's legal to do what you're doing there. Are they supposed to visit you?

    The guy at my deli never asks for ID when I buy lottery tickets and all the bingo I played as a kid at church was when I was under 18... but you let one american bet the Packer's to win the SuperBowl and bam! You're in jail.

    We have a goverment that outlaws things so they can profit from doing it themselves. When the Mega-Millions jackpot is $25 million, you know how much money they make? Let's just say the goverment is taking more than half before showing you that number.