NEWS ALERT - David Carruthers, detained by US authorities

[winbig]

I don't know how it applies to over the phone or overseas, but:

If you buy something online you only have to pay taxes on it only if you live in the same state that the company is located in.

How can they even think about charging them with tax evasion?

[edit]On a side note, why don't they go after these unlicensed scammers selling drugs online? I'm sure they'd get a ton of tax revenue from that! At least gambling online doesn't have the risk of killing you like those pills can....

[tennis_balls]

i see that betonsports has shut-down at least temporarilly.....all their homepage says is to please go to CM and PAB to get your money back

[cslate]

Well.

Let the games begin.

Why shut down....??

I can still wager on any other site.

Did they take their money?

I would have to say the aquired the land their servers are located on.

This is just the start.

There is alot of talk here north of the border (eh) in regards...our stocks have dropped also in regards to online gaming.

Could the indian reserves be next ie....Kanawake....

[cslate]

edit]On a side note, why don't they go after these unlicensed scammers selling drugs online? I'm sure they'd get a ton of tax revenue from that! At least gambling online doesn't have the risk of killing you like those pills can....

Being from way up north in Canada I have a couple questions.


Does the US get revenue from online gaming?


Have people killed themselves because of online gaming?

[jetset]

Here's Calvin Ayre's take on the situation:

Sunday's arrest in Texas of Carruthers, chief executive of the online gambling company BetOnSports, could appear "ominous" to other businesses, "but that is not the case at all," Ayre said in a statement to The Associated Press.

"The charges are specific to the person and company at issue, and has nothing to do with Bodog.com's current or previous business practices," he wrote.

The 44-year-old Ayre, who is listed by Forbes magazine as one of the 1,000 richest men in the world, lives part-time in Costa Rica, where his private company is based.

In his statement, he said that Bodog has "an innovative and different business model that allows us to run our entertainment enterprise within the laws set out in each of the jurisdictions where we conduct our business.

"Bodog.com will continue to carry on its business as usual and our organisation is confident the U.S. government's actions will have no impact on our operations," he added.

Carruthers was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as he awaited a flight to Costa Rica, where BetOnSports also has operations. He and 10 others face charges of conspiracy, racketeering and fraud in taking sports bets from U.S. residents.

U.S. authorities said an arrest warrant also was issued for company founder Gary Stephen Kaplan, who has been indicted on 20 felony counts.

A federal court also issued a temporary restraining order Monday to prevent BetOnSports from accepting bets in the United States, which is reported to be the company's biggest market.

Meanwhile, Antiguan Finance Minister Errol Cort said his Caribbean nation would closely monitor the legal action against BetOnSports PLC and 11 people involved with gambling over the Web.

"This is of major concern to us," Cort told reporters Tuesday during a break in a government economic forum. "This could have implications on individuals who are doing business in Antigua."

The two-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda has licensed 30 online gambling firms, including BetOnSports, and has welcomed the industry as a way to diversify its economy.

Antigua has filed a challenge against U.S. restrictions on online gambling with the World Trade organisation.

This is simply one opinion, but I think this could be an opportunity to pick up some non-BoS gambling stocks at bargain basement prices. There's a risk attached, for sure but also the possibility of good short to medium returns. I don't see these companies staying down in the basement for long.

[paul1]

Just in case anyone's interested, here's the indictment against BetonSports, in pdf file.

Holy shit!

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/moe/press%...indictment.pdf

[Pinababy69]

Wow, what a read. I skimmed it, but one thing I did notice is that it is not limited to telephone wagering. The terms illegal internet gambling/illegal internet gambling websites are used frequently. My mind is absolutely boggled and baffled by this. I never thought I'd see the day, although I don't know why I'm surprised. Once again, the good old USA has decided to save it's citizens from themselves. I wonder if they conducted a public poll, how many taxpayers would stand behind spending millions of dollars on this "investigation" and prosecution. They must have a huge surplus of tax dollars if this is all they can find to spend it on.

Towards the end of the indictment, there's a list of property that's to be confiscated under the RICO act. If any of those Hummers etc. were mine, and I knew someone had access to them, I'd set them on fire before I'd let the US government so much as touch them.

It's sort of comical how they refer to the corporation(s) as the "Enterprise". How appropriate in a way, because this whole thing is reminiscent of a Star Trek episode. I hope that Carruthers et al. have very deep pockets, and I hope they assemble a legal team that rivals OJ's. I sincerely hope they wipe the floor with them. God bless America indeed.

[winbig]

I think the final straw in this saga was:

(23) On or about April 12,2006, BETONSPORTS PLC owned web site
BETonSPORTS.COM solicited and accepted wagers from an individual residing in the State of
Washington, in violation of that State's laws.

[tennis_balls]

i checked via casinocity and some of BetOnSports' sites appear to still be up, but all the main ones are shut-down.....248casino appears to still be going as does easybets

Calvin Ayre seems relaxed, but what would you expect him to say? he's definately smarter about avoiding trouble than BetonSports. plus he's Canadian so that makes him less of a target. Bodog's big conference in Vegas starts Sunday so it will be interesting to see how that goes.

[lottethedog]

why does being canadian change anything? the BOS ceo was from the uk?

the government of costa rica must be worried considering the numbers employed in the industry