Crackdown Fears After SportingBet Chairman’s Arrest
Sportingbet PLC (which also owns Paradise Poker, among other gaming entities) confirmed that its non-executive chairman Peter Dicks has been arrested and detained by US Authorities upon his arrival at Kennedy International Airport on a warrant issued by the state of Louisiana.
The laws on the books in the state of Louisiana designate that it is against the law to both place a bet on the Internet and to operate an online casino, bookmaking or poker operation. While the indictment against SportingBet was issued back in May, Louisiana officials would not comment as to the actions taken against Mr. Dicks.
A statement from the company said a hearing for Dicks is scheduled for 2.00 pm BST and added pending clarification of the situation the Board has sought immediate temporary suspension of Sportingbet’s shares.
Further information will be issued in due course it added.
This is the second of arrests that have taken place in the U. S. in the past couple of months against Internet gaming. In July, the former CEO of BetOnSports, David Carruthers, was arrested by federal law enforcement
officers during a layover in Dallas for his organization’s acceptance of bets over the Internet. Carruthers was released on bail but he cannot leave the US where he’s still awaiting resolution of his case.
