Have ban, will travel: gambling crackdown.THEY SUPPOSEDLY speak English in England, but they have different names for certain things. When they say lift, they mean elevator. Larry, is their word for truck. And someone they call a businessman is what we call a racketeer. David Carruthers David Carruthers (born September, 1957 in Edinburgh, Scotland) was the CEO and a board member of online gambling company BETonSPORTS plc. He served as CEO from July 2000 until July 24, 2006. , CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of the online bookmaker BetOnSports, discovered the significance of that difference during a July layover lay·o·ver n. A short stop or break in a journey, usually imposed by scheduling requirements. Noun 1. layover - a brief stay in the course of a journey; "they made a stopover to visit their friends" stopover, stop at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, where he was arrested for helping Americans gamble. His arrest is part of a larger attempt to impose America's gambling restrictions on countries with more tolerant policies. Carruthers was on his way from London, where BetOnSports is headquartered, to Costa Rica Costa Rica (kŏs`tə rē`kə), officially Republic of Costa Rica, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,016,000), 19,575 sq mi (50,700 sq km), Central America. , where its online betting operations are based. The business is legal in both places, but not in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Since most of its customers are Americans, Carruthers is guilty of about 20 different felonies--or so say the FBI and the Justice Department, and they're the ones with the guns and handcuffs hand·cuff n. A restraining device consisting of a pair of strong, connected hoops that can be tightened and locked about the wrists and used on one or both arms of a prisoner in custody; a manacle. Often used in the plural. tr.v. . In addition to Carruthers, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri accuses 10 other people associated with BetOnSports of violating the 1961 Wire Act, which prohibits using "a wire communication facility" to accept bets on "any sporting event or contest." Leaving aside the question of whether the Internet counts as a "wire communication facility," online bookmakers in other countries argue that the U.S. prohibition does not apply to them simply because some of their customers are Americans. Ira betting operation is based in Costa Rica, they say, that's where the betting takes place, even if the customer uses a computer in St. Louis. While a Wire Act violation carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a "racketeering Traditionally, obtaining or extorting money illegally or carrying on illegal business activities, usually by Organized Crime . A pattern of illegal activity carried out as part of an enterprise that is owned or controlled by those who are engaged in the illegal activity. conspiracy" involving such a violation can be punished by a prison term of up to 20 years. So can "mail fraud," which BetOnSports supposedly committed by advertising that it is "legal and licensed"--never mind that BetOnSports is legal and licensed in the countries where it operates. Despite the talk of fraud, BetOnSports is not accused of ripping off its customers. This case has nothing to do with consumer protection, except in the sense of protecting consumers from their own desire to bet on sports. |
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