BetonSports.com
- Thread starter chump
- Start date
DeadPrez said:
my guess, little guys like us have no worry at all. The anti gambling ban has not and MAY NOT get thru the senate.
:sadwave:
they have their sights on a few big boys with US citizenship ties who have crossed the line in the past.
its just my uneducated guess...
i posted this in the other thread..
i posted this in the other thread..
Gaming ads strongest part of U.S. indictment
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The strongest allegations about executives of BetonSports in their criminal troubles appear to be that they advertised their Costa Rica-based gambling operation inside the United States.
The U.S. indictment made public Monday against seven BetonSports figures and four Florida associates alleges racketeering, conspiracy, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering.
Company executives also traveled to the United States to contract for advertising, which was placed on gambling Web sites, in magazines, on radio and on cable television and delivered via direct mail.
A company representative also made purchases inside the United States and had the items shipped to Costa Rica, including two Humvees, according to the indictment.
Other than the advertising, which seems to have been handled by other firms within the United States, the seven BetonSports figures seem to have a strong defense that they were physically located in Costa Rica or elsewhere, as were their companies.
For example, the United States says that BetonSports and affiliated companies committed fraud because they said they were "legal and licensed" but they were not legal and licensed inside the United States. However, BetonSports says on its corporate Web site that it is licensed by the Antigua and Barbuda Division of Gaming.
The money laundering charge, a very emotional allegation, is simply defined that company executives laundered money received as illegal wagers. But if the wagers were legal, the money laundering charge collapses.
The U.S. government also says that the offshore gambling companies failed to pay a U.S. wagering tax. But BetonSports does not have offices in the United States and it is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Even the indictment notes that it is incorporated in the Britain.
As part of the fraud allegation, the U.S. indictment said that BetonSports and its associated companies created the Offshore Gaming Association and the International Sportsbook Council and presented them as independent watchdog agencies, when in fact their purpose was to minimize loss via gambler complaints.
The indictment estimates that between Jan. 29, 2001, and Feb. 1, 2004, the gambling Web sites took in nearly $3.5 billion. It lists among other firms BetonSports in Antigua, Millennium, Jaguar, Infinity and Gibraltar, as well as BetonSports in Costa Rica.
The U.S. government said that 98 percent of the companies' bets were from the United States, but the company says on its Web site that it is seeking to beef up its presence in the Asian markets, which it says have great potential.
Finally the government alleges that BetonSports obstructed the U.S. tax laws by having gamblers there send money to third parties in other countries, like Ecuador, Antigua and elsewhere. If the company is not obligated to pay U.S. tax, this is a hollow allegation.
The case is being handled in the Eastern District of Missouri by the U.S. Attorney's office there. That state also is home to former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft, who worked against online gambling and is a fundamentalist Christian.
There is no indication how Costa Rica will react to the indictment. Gary Stephen Kaplan, the main figure in the indictment and the founder of BetonSports lives here. If he is arrested, U.S. officials must show that he broke laws in the United states that are similar to crimes here. Gambling is not a crime here, but fraud, money laundering and conspiracy are, which may be why U.S. officials tacked them on the indictment.
If the U.S. charges prevail, the entire sportsbook industry here will be in jeopardy because nearly all do what the United States says BetonSports did criminally.
The indictment of the 11 individuals comes at a time when the U.S. Congress itself is uncertain if Internet gambling is covered by a 1961 wire act designed for U.S. bookies who made telephone calls.
The U.S. House passed a bill a week ago that made clear that Internet gambling was criminal, but the U.S. Senate still must approve the measure.
Perhaps the biggest sin of BetonSports was to be very visible. Chief executive David Carruthers has been campaigning for the United States to adopt a regulatory approach instead of prohibition. He even went so far as to write an op-ed piece last March for the Los Angeles Times.
For Costa Rica, this is a major development because thousands of young, bilingual Ticos work in the sportsbooks. BetonSports says it has 2,000 person on staff during high betting seasons.
BetonSports may have made serious errors when it marketed its gambling Web sites so aggressively. Sending gambling promotions via the U.S. mails, which the government alleged did happen, is a crime. And A.M. Costa Rica does not accept sportsbook and gambling ads because company owners believe to publish them would be contrary to state and federal laws in the United States.
But the United States, too, has strong protection for speech, even commercial speech like advertising. So the the odds are even money that this case will be in the appeals courts for years if there is a conviction.
i posted this in the other thread..
Gaming ads strongest part of U.S. indictment
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The strongest allegations about executives of BetonSports in their criminal troubles appear to be that they advertised their Costa Rica-based gambling operation inside the United States.
The U.S. indictment made public Monday against seven BetonSports figures and four Florida associates alleges racketeering, conspiracy, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering.
Company executives also traveled to the United States to contract for advertising, which was placed on gambling Web sites, in magazines, on radio and on cable television and delivered via direct mail.
A company representative also made purchases inside the United States and had the items shipped to Costa Rica, including two Humvees, according to the indictment.
Other than the advertising, which seems to have been handled by other firms within the United States, the seven BetonSports figures seem to have a strong defense that they were physically located in Costa Rica or elsewhere, as were their companies.
For example, the United States says that BetonSports and affiliated companies committed fraud because they said they were "legal and licensed" but they were not legal and licensed inside the United States. However, BetonSports says on its corporate Web site that it is licensed by the Antigua and Barbuda Division of Gaming.
The money laundering charge, a very emotional allegation, is simply defined that company executives laundered money received as illegal wagers. But if the wagers were legal, the money laundering charge collapses.
The U.S. government also says that the offshore gambling companies failed to pay a U.S. wagering tax. But BetonSports does not have offices in the United States and it is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Even the indictment notes that it is incorporated in the Britain.
As part of the fraud allegation, the U.S. indictment said that BetonSports and its associated companies created the Offshore Gaming Association and the International Sportsbook Council and presented them as independent watchdog agencies, when in fact their purpose was to minimize loss via gambler complaints.
The indictment estimates that between Jan. 29, 2001, and Feb. 1, 2004, the gambling Web sites took in nearly $3.5 billion. It lists among other firms BetonSports in Antigua, Millennium, Jaguar, Infinity and Gibraltar, as well as BetonSports in Costa Rica.
The U.S. government said that 98 percent of the companies' bets were from the United States, but the company says on its Web site that it is seeking to beef up its presence in the Asian markets, which it says have great potential.
Finally the government alleges that BetonSports obstructed the U.S. tax laws by having gamblers there send money to third parties in other countries, like Ecuador, Antigua and elsewhere. If the company is not obligated to pay U.S. tax, this is a hollow allegation.
The case is being handled in the Eastern District of Missouri by the U.S. Attorney's office there. That state also is home to former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft, who worked against online gambling and is a fundamentalist Christian.
There is no indication how Costa Rica will react to the indictment. Gary Stephen Kaplan, the main figure in the indictment and the founder of BetonSports lives here. If he is arrested, U.S. officials must show that he broke laws in the United states that are similar to crimes here. Gambling is not a crime here, but fraud, money laundering and conspiracy are, which may be why U.S. officials tacked them on the indictment.
If the U.S. charges prevail, the entire sportsbook industry here will be in jeopardy because nearly all do what the United States says BetonSports did criminally.
The indictment of the 11 individuals comes at a time when the U.S. Congress itself is uncertain if Internet gambling is covered by a 1961 wire act designed for U.S. bookies who made telephone calls.
The U.S. House passed a bill a week ago that made clear that Internet gambling was criminal, but the U.S. Senate still must approve the measure.
Perhaps the biggest sin of BetonSports was to be very visible. Chief executive David Carruthers has been campaigning for the United States to adopt a regulatory approach instead of prohibition. He even went so far as to write an op-ed piece last March for the Los Angeles Times.
For Costa Rica, this is a major development because thousands of young, bilingual Ticos work in the sportsbooks. BetonSports says it has 2,000 person on staff during high betting seasons.
BetonSports may have made serious errors when it marketed its gambling Web sites so aggressively. Sending gambling promotions via the U.S. mails, which the government alleged did happen, is a crime. And A.M. Costa Rica does not accept sportsbook and gambling ads because company owners believe to publish them would be contrary to state and federal laws in the United States.
But the United States, too, has strong protection for speech, even commercial speech like advertising. So the the odds are even money that this case will be in the appeals courts for years if there is a conviction.
hard to gauge the total effect yet... with congress and the press putting this so called problem in the publics eye who knows where it can go. most online books are smart... they formed in countries that accept gambling as a legal enterprise. for example bodog was formed by a canadian citizen, in Costa Rica, in which banking is done out of London. In all three countries (though I am not 100% sure of canada) ...it is legal to take sports bets. the U.S. government is hitting anyone involved that has a U.S. citizenship.
juice or no juice, i never understood why anyone would play anywhere other than pinnacle, oly and their sister sites bet jam, and maybe 5 dimes. i'm sure i'm missing a few.
but why would anyone play on any site that advertises on us airwaves begging for business. there is nothing that betonsports offers that can come close to the stability of these other books licensed in regulated countries.
if pinnacle goes down, you can kiss offshore wagering goodbye anyway.
i really hope everyone gets paid, but you can pretty much forget about that without having to wait forever and pulling teeth.
just an awful situation and i feel bad for everyone with money in these books.
doesn't take long to remember aces gold and camelot and the others.
gl
but why would anyone play on any site that advertises on us airwaves begging for business. there is nothing that betonsports offers that can come close to the stability of these other books licensed in regulated countries.
if pinnacle goes down, you can kiss offshore wagering goodbye anyway.
i really hope everyone gets paid, but you can pretty much forget about that without having to wait forever and pulling teeth.
just an awful situation and i feel bad for everyone with money in these books.
doesn't take long to remember aces gold and camelot and the others.
gl
From another forum...
I have been in touch with BetonSports management and have been informed that all financial and wagering transactions are suspended pending an appeal of the stay that has been filed. BetonSports attorneys have filed an appeal that will be heard within the next 48 hours and if it is upehld BetonSports will re-open as usual. Should the appeal be dismissed I am certain a second one will be filed.
Regarding pending wagers - all wagers will be graded accordingly before BetonSports reopens.
Regarding The BetonSports banner here at The **. - mangagement here will confer with Betonsports about the status of the banner and act accordingly.
I will update this thread with any new information ASAP..
Thanks, wil
I have been in touch with BetonSports management and have been informed that all financial and wagering transactions are suspended pending an appeal of the stay that has been filed. BetonSports attorneys have filed an appeal that will be heard within the next 48 hours and if it is upehld BetonSports will re-open as usual. Should the appeal be dismissed I am certain a second one will be filed.
Regarding pending wagers - all wagers will be graded accordingly before BetonSports reopens.
Regarding The BetonSports banner here at The **. - mangagement here will confer with Betonsports about the status of the banner and act accordingly.
I will update this thread with any new information ASAP..
Thanks, wil
Well said. Just got off the phone with a buddy of mine that had all his cash at Infinity and this should bring about an important lesson - no matter what book you are at, never leave it all in one place. I havent moved from Pinnacle or Oly in several years and feel terrible for my buddy and the rest of the folks out there.BleedDodgerBlue said:
One thing I've learned from Pinnacle especially, the less gimics, bonuses, "free half points on odd numbered days in leap years" types of things a book has the better off you are. Nothing scientific, just personal opinion.
The other thing now that I read about how the ads were the undoing - what about PokerStars and PartyPoker? You cant watch 17 seconds of ESPN coverage of anything these days without a pokerstars commercial, same with Party on the discovery channel - although they are careful to use partypoker.net etc and say "This is not a gambling website" Uh huh, sure thing. Or if you have the Directv sports package and flip through the 600 level channels on a Sunday, there are a dozen poker shows on, advertising some poker sites I havent even heard of.
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good reason to have less gov't
good reason to have less gov't
Well, I'm scared sh!tl*ss about the money I have in betonsports.com :shrug: :shrug: I would almost bet everything I have in the account that I will not see a nickel from these people. I would rather lose the money on any game than for the federal government to steal it from me. I will wait and see what happens.
good reason to have less gov't
Well, I'm scared sh!tl*ss about the money I have in betonsports.com :shrug: :shrug: I would almost bet everything I have in the account that I will not see a nickel from these people. I would rather lose the money on any game than for the federal government to steal it from me. I will wait and see what happens.
Man I can't believe my luck. First the Blue Marlin a couple of years ago and now this with Millennium.
When I went to withdraw my money at the end of the FB season, I was convinced to keep a thousand deposited with them and they would give me interest per month as a bonus. Since I had been with them for the past three years, I thought no problem and now this.
I sure hope they get this worked out. Damn
When I went to withdraw my money at the end of the FB season, I was convinced to keep a thousand deposited with them and they would give me interest per month as a bonus. Since I had been with them for the past three years, I thought no problem and now this.
I sure hope they get this worked out. Damn
jasperjones said:
Donate it to the republican party of course. This is absolutely the dumbist and most corrupt government I have ever seen, and I tend to vote republican.
pd1 said:
i believe this doesn't have anything to do with the anti gambling bill. from what i have read it has to do with racketeering, and money laundering issues & not offshore gambling issues. it's about doing business inside the u.s. that the u.s. considers illegal.
(3) the defendant must inform the providers of telephone services
listed in Exhibit C, attached to Detective Mize's Affidavit and herein incorporated by reference,
that it is ceasing illegal operations in the United States, and that it will no longer accept wagers,
or allow the transmission of betting information through interstate and foreign communication
facilities in the U.S., such being and having been in violation of federal law;
(4) the defendant must return to the sender all funds in its possession
received from persons in the United States, for the purpose of opening a sports betting wagering
account;
(5) the defendant must set up a toll free telephone service for each web
site it operates, to provide refund information to each person in the United States who has a
wagering account with each web site operated by the defendant in the United States;
(6) the defendant must post, on each web site it operates that is
accessible from the United States, the following message on its primary access page:
THIS WEB SITE DOES NOT ACCEPT WAGERS ON SPORTS OR
SPORTING EVENTS FROM PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS
A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES LAW TO TRANSMIT SPORTS
WAGERS OR BETTING INFORMATION TO THIS WEB SITE FROM
THE UNITED STATES. IF YOU HAVE A WAGERING ACCOUNT
WITH THE OPERATORS OF THIS WEB SITE, PLEASE CALL [TOLL
FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER] TO ARRANGE A REFUND.
listed in Exhibit C, attached to Detective Mize's Affidavit and herein incorporated by reference,
that it is ceasing illegal operations in the United States, and that it will no longer accept wagers,
or allow the transmission of betting information through interstate and foreign communication
facilities in the U.S., such being and having been in violation of federal law;
(4) the defendant must return to the sender all funds in its possession
received from persons in the United States, for the purpose of opening a sports betting wagering
account;
(5) the defendant must set up a toll free telephone service for each web
site it operates, to provide refund information to each person in the United States who has a
wagering account with each web site operated by the defendant in the United States;
(6) the defendant must post, on each web site it operates that is
accessible from the United States, the following message on its primary access page:
THIS WEB SITE DOES NOT ACCEPT WAGERS ON SPORTS OR
SPORTING EVENTS FROM PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS
A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES LAW TO TRANSMIT SPORTS
WAGERS OR BETTING INFORMATION TO THIS WEB SITE FROM
THE UNITED STATES. IF YOU HAVE A WAGERING ACCOUNT
WITH THE OPERATORS OF THIS WEB SITE, PLEASE CALL [TOLL
FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER] TO ARRANGE A REFUND.
Thx Jack for this info. I sure hope this doesn't affect any other books or the coming FB season will be crap unless I can find a local.
Unreal asshole politicians.
Unreal asshole politicians.
I just asked for my money from a major player in the business. I asked for all of it, and that isn't a lot. They sent me everything but one cent!
Why would they do that?
Why would they do that?
Dr. Strangelove called me last night and told me about the sites being shut down.... Geeze, I feel so damn lucky this morning....
I won the NCAA football contest at Infinity last year.... I finally completed my rollover requirements over the 4th of July weekend and requested a withdrawal of everything except $500. I may never see that last $500, but I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have requested and received a withdrawal of several thousand dollars only about 10 days ago.... I feel bad for anyone with money left in any of these books, but hopefully, we will eventually get our remaining funds back....
WOW!!! Unbelievable!!! I'm one fortuitus son of a biatch....
I won the NCAA football contest at Infinity last year.... I finally completed my rollover requirements over the 4th of July weekend and requested a withdrawal of everything except $500. I may never see that last $500, but I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have requested and received a withdrawal of several thousand dollars only about 10 days ago.... I feel bad for anyone with money left in any of these books, but hopefully, we will eventually get our remaining funds back....
WOW!!! Unbelievable!!! I'm one fortuitus son of a biatch....
MadJack said:they have to fuk you over in some way
just kidding
maybe an error?
do you really care or just wondering why? i don't know the answer.
I asked for $400, Jack. They e-mailed me back, and said they would be sending me $399.99!
I just found that to be odd. I don't need the penny at this time, and may ask for it at a later date..........
