Detained BetOnSports CEO fired |
For those thinking Washington was the only government with a stick up its butt about online gambling just follow the story of BetOnSports CEO David Curruthers. Er, I mean former CEO, because now USA Today is reporting he’s been axed.
Carruthers thought he was making a routine connecting flight from the UK to Costa Rica but ended up being detained and jailed. And then fired.
Carruthers and 10 others, including the founder of BetOnSports, were named in a 22-count indictment unsealed this week by federal prosecutors in St. Louis. The government says BetOnSports fraudulently took bets from U.S. residents by phone and the Internet, and failed to pay excise taxes.
The betonsports.com website currently has an ominous message that reads (caps lock alert is theirs, sorry): “IN LIGHT OF COURT PAPERS FILED IN THE UNITED STATES, THE COMPANY HAS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED THIS FACILITY PENDING ITS ABILITY TO ASSESS ITS FULL POSITION. DURING THIS PERIOD NO FINANCIAL OR WAGERING TRANSACTIONS CAN BE EXECUTED. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED ONCE THE COMPANY IS IN A POSITION TO DO SO.”
Clearly, attempts to police online gambling is becoming a major political issue which compared to situations like the one in Iraq seems very sad and misguided to me.
Did this post make you go hmm?
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A lot of money wasted on preventing people from wasting their money.
Comment by Sterling Camden — July 25, 2006 @ 2:59 pm PST
I was listening to the radio today and they were talking about the indian casinos in our state generating a billion dollars a year. Have to think they continue to be in support of protecting their biz.
Comment by TDavid — July 25, 2006 @ 10:12 pm PST
You know it. Without that, they’d have to create some serious other industry. More than fireworks.
Comment by Sterling Camden — July 26, 2006 @ 10:33 am PST
[…] 2006 has become the year of the fight against online gambling. Whether you oppose or approve of online gambling, it’s clear the government sees this as a campaign issue and it disturbs me to find this being lumped in with anti-terrorism laws. If it’s so strong on its own, why not keep it separate? I was telling a friend of mine the other day that online gambling is a felony here in Washington state and he was shocked. Next time I talk to him, I get to say there’s a federal ban too. […]
Pingback by Make You Go Hmm: » Bush signs anti-gambling legislation — October 14, 2006 @ 11:44 am PST
[…] Remember the story back in July of the online gambling sportsbook BetOnSports CEO being detained by the US government and then fired? There has been some closure for the company, but not for the former CEO who still faces 22 counts of fraud and racketeering charges in a trial expected early next year. What deal did the feds cut BetOnSports? Basically, they pointed to the borders and said, “keep out.” […]
Pingback by U.S officially closes the sports … book on BetOnSports » Make You Go Hmm — November 10, 2006 @ 1:07 pm PST