Sportingbet chairman arrested

[jetset]

I'm answering my own question: Dicks has been released on bail of $50 000, although he has to remain in NY until at least September 14 when he will fight the extradition order to Louisiana.

He told a US court yesterday he intended to fight extradition. A spokesman for the district attorney in the New York borough of Queens said of Mr Dicks: "He plans to challenge extradition on the grounds that he was not personally in the jurisdiction in the period of the alleged offence."

Dicks was granted bail last night on surety of $50 000 by a judge in New York's supreme court. The decision meant he walked free after two nights in New York's Rikers Island prison. He must surrender his passport and remain in the New York City area pending a decision on his extradition to Louisiana.

Dicks was in the US to attend a board meeting of another (non-Sportingbet) company of which he is a director. His listed directorships include Standard Microsystems, a New York maker of computer circuits.

There have been two more interesting comments from law enforcement officials on whether this is the generalised clampdown on internet gambling that the media are claiming:

"This is a separate state case. I can't speculate if there will be federal charges, but there will be discussion," said Louisiana State Police spokesman Dwight Robinette Jr. "Our troopers started taking bets (with Sportingbet) and creating an investigation on this company and Mr. Dicks." The warrant was issued in May and Dicks' name was flagged during a routine customs check at Kennedy. That indicates this was a sting operation in January at state level initiated well before the Carruthers arrest.

Another report (in AFX) says: "While the Justice Department has said it is being more vigilant in prosecuting illegal offshore betting, the department said Thursday's arrest (of Dicks) was not a coordinated effort with state authorities."

And Antigua is already claiming victimisation of its licensees in a complaint to the WTO, which is already deliberating on the US attitude to online gambling.

We live in interesting times....

[dominique]

These charges will never stick, and just look at the low bail!

This was just an effort to increase the "chilling effect" and ruin another gambling conference.

CAC2006 is going on in Vegas by the way, albeit a number of programs will not take part and will not set foot on US soil again. My guess is that will be the last conference in the US.

[sneakattack]

Just took a look at sportingbets website, they conveniently are upgrading it and it is temporarily unavailable. Now what does that mean. Temporarily unavailable like bos or for a few days.

[The Watchdog]

I checked Sportingbet.com - Global sportsbook and casino.....

The site is redirecting me to www.miapuesta.com...

Could it be that they banned the site for US ips???

could somebody post a screen shot of what is the site showing?

[tennis_balls]

the site appears to be functioning normally for me though I don't have an account with them...(i'm in California)

[GrandMaster]

I checked Sportingbet.com - Global sportsbook and casino.....

The site is redirecting me to www.miapuesta.com...

Could it be that they banned the site for US ips???

could somebody post a screen shot of what is the site showing?

Miapuesta is a Spanish language Sportingbet site. Try clearing your cookies and changing the language preferences in your browser to English, and you may be able to see sportingbet.com in English.

[cipher]

I checked Sportingbet.com - Global sportsbook and casino.....

The site is redirecting me to www.miapuesta.com...

Could it be that they banned the site for US ips???

could somebody post a screen shot of what is the site showing?

As of 08:29 on September 14, 2006

Have a good one.

[jetset]

ARRESTED SPORTINGBET CHAIRMAN RESIGNS

Behind the scenes wheeling and dealing in New York?

Bloombergs business news service reports that the non-executive chairman of Sportingbet plc, Peter Dicks, has resigned following his detention in the U.S. last week on a covert warrant for 'gambling by computer' offences allegedly committed in the state of Louisiana.

Separately, a New York state judge today (Thursday) postponed consideration of a request by Louisiana state police to extradite Dicks to that state on the charges. Judge Gene Lopez set a new hearing date of September 28 and gave Dicks permission to leave the country in the meantime, returning his passport and driver's license.

"He's appeared; he will appear,'' one of Dicks' lawyers told the judge.

Neither Dicks or his lawyers would comment on the charges or extradition to Louisiana, which Dick has pledged he will vigorously oppose.

Sportingbet spokesmen said in a Regulatory News Service statement that the chairman's resignation was accepted with "great reluctance,'' and that Dicks will be replaced "in due course'' as the company's shares surged Thursday on the positive news.

"If you think there's a chance the company might continue to remain in operation, unlike Betonsports, then the stock looks phenomenally cheap,'' said Mark Reed, a London-based broker. "This is hot money betting that this issue has bottomed out, marginally supported by the chief executive leaving.''

Shares of Sportingbet gained as much as 38 pence to 191 pence in London and were up 18 percent to 180.75 pence at 4:07 p.m. local time. The stock is still about 25 percent percent below its last closing price before Dicks' detention was announced, and about 40 percent below the price at which it closed on July 14, the last session before Betonsports said Carruthers had been held.

Dicks, a 64-year-old Briton who also is chairman of London- based Daniel Stewart Securities Plc, was arrested September 6 at New York's John F. Kennedy International airport after getting off a flight from London and held for two days (see previous InfoPowa reports).