Chairman of Largest Online Gambling Site Arrested

Chairman of Largest Online Gambling Site Arrested/ September 2006
Law enforcement officers arrested the CEO of one of the largest online gambling sites, SportingBet at a New York airport last week.

The CEO was arrested on a warrant issued by the state of Louisiana and it follows the arrest of another gambling executive over the summer.

At first many gambling experts believed that the arrest of BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers was just aimed at his company specifically, but this second arrest has proven that the American justice department are not showing a preference and are determined to make a point to the online casinos industry.

The arrest of Peter Dicks, the Chairman of SportingBet, the largest online gambling site has halted the company's trading of its stock. Many experts were shocked that Mr Dicks had decided to travel to the United States as he was included in an indictment issued back in May by the state of Louisiana.

The United States government is currently on a witch hunt of the largest online gambling sites and they are at present trying to pass two bills in the Senate that will attempt to shut down the industry for good. Prosecutors want to make an example of the largest online gambling sites to send a strong message to those who operate online casinos and those who gamble in them.

There are many concerns over the future of the internet casino industry. Those trying to put a stop to the industry have an uphill battle before them as the majority of online gamblers are American citizens and over half of the $12 billion online gambling worldwide revenue comes from the U.S.

Many experts believe that the only way to put a stop to internet gambling is not by indicting all the largest online gambling sites but by arresting each and every one of the country's 50 million gamblers who bet each year which would prove very difficult.

The online casino industry has a strong following and those in support want a fully approved studied to be executed before any decisions are made over the future of online gambling.