Online Casino News and Information

June 19th marks the next in a long line of deadlines for Antigua and Barbuda in their battle against the only remaining super power on the planet. The small twin islands challenged the US stance against online gambling in a WTO court and after a 4 year battle was declared victor. Then on May 4th, the US announced it would withdraw its commitment for gambling and betting services under Article 21 of the General Agreement on Trade in Service, saying that this will end the dispute with Antigua & Barbuda over remote gambling. For a brief history of the first half of the battle, read Can Antigua Survive US Attacks…

Commenting on the US decision to withdraw from battle, Mark Mendel, attorney for Antigua & Barbuda said “They can’t effectively withdraw the commitment until they have settled with every single country that files a complaint,” A complaint can be filed by any of the 149 members of the WTO and claim compensation against the US for damages based on their failure to provide fair trade and market access for online gambling operators. A process that could take years. The deadline to file is June 19th.

Mendel also said that while Antigua & Barbuda has been encouraging countries to file complaints, he does not yet know how many countries will actually do so noting that there have been very positive responses from countries approached. Those that decide to move forward should be expected to file their claims at the last minute, as would Antigua & Barbuda. Stressing the importance of the issue, Mendel said “I think it’s like a test of the system and whether it’s going to work for all of us or not, I still remain very confident about our case.”

Delegations from Brazil, India, China and the European Union spoke in Antigua & Barbuda’s favor at lthe WTO Dispute Settlement Body and expressed their discomfort with US attempts to circumvent or flout the processes of the international trade body.

All of which is very encouraging but it’s been my experience that delegates will look you straight in the eye and say they will support you, even make efforts to provide that support and when the time comes to stand up and be counted they’re not there. I’m sure there’s something the EU wants that the US can provide; money India could use. By not filing claims in a prompt manner, the delegations leave the door open to work a better deal, get a few more million, sweeten the pot as much as possible and then look the situation over. If they think the US coughed up enough, support for Antigua will fall to the wayside. Since the filing of claims is expected to be last minute, Antigua won’t know until the game is over and everyone has gone home that they struck out.

Antigua put up one hell of a fight but in the end I have this horrible gut feeling they will be hung out to dry by the very same people claiming to support them. I hope I’m proven wrong. I hope the EU has had enough of being the US lackey. I hope India and Brazil aren’t just mouthing platitudes. I sincerely hope Antigua and Barbuda aren’t counting too heavily on any of these countries support.

Staff Writer

Sources:
Antigua Sun
Games and Casino Online Gambling News and Information Blog

Presidential hopeful Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Ka) made a visit to Treasure Secretary Henry Paulson earlier this month to question him regarding what he sees as delays to the enforcement of the UIGEA, saying the drafting of regulations has dragged on for months.

“Are they going to be committed to enforcing this law,” Brownback asked, “and putting the personnel in place that it needs.”

Senator Brownback’s questions regarding the UIGEA, an Act passed by Congress in a shifty ’slight of hand’ action last fall, came shortly before his discussion with 75 Christian leaders in Iowa.

It was this same state and group Bill Frist was courting when he agreed to add a ban (UIGEA) on online gambling to his list of Family Values in exchange for the Christian coalition’s backing of his presidential campaign. Frist later gave up on the idea of making a run at the White House.

Brownback, who stressed the importance of Christian leaders being active in defending core principals, such as being pro-life and the preservation of marriage between a man and a woman, addressed the group saying “With your commitment today, we can continue to bring back fundamental Christian principles and morals to our society that our very nation is founded upon”

Staff Writer

Sources:
The Daily NonPareil, Council Bluffs, Iowa

CitizenLink - Focus on the Family

Last night marked the first of the Association of Players, Casinos & Webmasters (APCW) weekly Podcasts. APCW is the same organization that produces the Perspectives Weekly video each Friday. Both productions are hosted by the multi talented J Todd and centered on the world of online gaming. They do a great job scripting and producing the videos but the podcasts add a new dimension… interaction. Webmasters, players, affiliates, even the President are all welcome to call in to the podcast and ask questions or state their opinions.

The first podcast looked at Bet on Sports board decision to plead guilty to charges against them and J Todd has an interview with Mark Mendel, Legal Counselor for Antigua & Barbuda where they discussed the legal battles these islands are waging against the US through the WTO.

Click here to listen to the APCW Podcast for May 29th, 2007 and here to view Perspectives Weekly for May 25, 2007

Join the Fight!

Following the arrest in April of three of Betex employees by China for allegedly being involved in illegal gambling, Peter Greenhill and Stuart Barker, the chief executive and finance director at Betex, resigned after failing to receive assurances from the Chinese authorities that they would not be arrested if they entered the country. Non-executive director Philip Goodmaker has also resigned according to eGaming Review.

In April the specialist Chinese lottery company announced that three of its employees in China had been arrested over allegations of involvement in illegal gambling. No charges against the employees have yet been brought by the Chinese authorities.

“…Greenhill said the company had heard rumours that his and Barker’s names had come up in the Chinese investigations and that it had been impossible to ascertain whether or not the pair could be in danger of being arrested should they enter the country. “It was too much to ask, perhaps, for proper assurances,” he said. “It is better for the company is someone else takes over.”

“Betex has appointed chief operating officer Jeremy Longley as the new chief executive. He will be supported by present executive chairman Johnny Hon and company secretary Simon Spector. Meanwhile, Alexander von Franckenstein has been appointed as a non-executive director to replace Goodmaker. Greenhill added that the employees who have been detained are yet to be released.”

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Johnny Hon added “(Greenhill and Barker) feel that they are unable to perform their roles as they would like to, and to the best effect for the company. The board would like to take this opportunity of thanking (them) for their efforts.”

According to U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway and in a move that stunned the online gambling sector, BetOnSports PLC pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette carried the details of the bargain in which Hanaway agreed to drop any further criminal prosecution of the company in return for BetOnSports cooperation in supplying witnesses and evidence in the pending cases against Carruthers, Kaplan and other lower-level defendants.

“…Now that the legal case is settled and access to the U.S. market is banned, BetOnSports is going out of business, Demerath said. “It is going to be wound up and closed down,” Demerath said.”

“”This plea constitutes a submission by the company to the U.S. justice system,” Hanaway said in a statement. “This plea, combined with the terms of the civil junction, should put an end to the BetonSports illegal gambling empire.”

“…faces a fine up to $500,000 and possible forfeitures. The company also is subject to a permanent injunction that requires it to repay wagers received from U.S. gamblers held by the company as of June 1, 2006.”

Sentencing for BetOnSports is set for Oct. 19. In the meantime, Carruthers and Kaplan remain under arrest since this deal in no way ends their prosecution.

The Interactive Gaming Council (IGC), which has as one of it’s corporate missions to promote and publicize the Gaming industry’s assets has appointed John Fitzgerald as its new chief executive.

eGaming Review reports that Fitzgerald, who previously worked as general counsel at CryptoLogic, said he intended to redouble in his efforts to promote international regulation of the industry and that the sector was already very active in ensuring a safe environment for its customers.

“…four key points - addressing issues surrounding problem gambling, ensuring operators do everything they can to keep minors away from online gaming sites, dealing with money laundering and ensuring egaming executives and firms pass the strictest probity tests.”

“We would like to show people how we work and focus on the four core issues we have mentioned, because they are the ones the critics always bring up. We’re a bit fed up with the industry talking about credibility because we don’t need to talk about it. Operators competing at the highest level are the most credible already and we are past that. We have got to show people what we are doing about problem and underage gambling, money laundering and the probity of egaming operators.” said Fitzgerald:

“We’re not doing this because these issues need to be addressed in online gaming,” John Anderson, chairman of the board of the IGC said. “We’re doing it to show that the industry addresses these issues as a matter of course and that the levels of professionalism are beyond reproach. For instance, the cases of money laundering among our members are nil.”

“…Fitzgerald said he welcomed any attempt to regulate online gaming and wanted to emphasise the positive outcome such activity could have. “Rather than always concentrating on the negatives, for example, how positive would it be for the US to be able to collect the tax dollars of a regulated online gaming industry?,” he said.

Both Anderson and Fitzgerald welcome a debate on the regulation of online gambling as lont as it is pursued with an open mind and without hidden agendas.

Ronald Maginley, columnist for the Antigua Sun, and spokesman for Antigua Offshore Gaming Association talked about Antigua, Barbuda and the WTO in his column today (the first of two installments) detailing the current battle being fought by Antigua against the US.

Most of the information is common knowledge, having been headlined throughout Antigua’s long 4 year battle against the US. Other information is not.

“In what is a continuation of measures that led to a financial advisory against Antigua & Barbuda in 1999, a new bill entitled “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act” (S.681), has been tabled in the US Senate….”

“With measures that would seek to force tax havens to make full disclosure of US citizens accounts (including trust accounts); and with penalties that could make Antiguan citizens subject to charge in the US for aiding and abetting…”

“…our government’s rush to impose an IMF taxation programme, and in particular the Personal Income Tax (PIT), and then to criminalise its evasion, has opened a new and welcomed door for the IRS.”

“In the past, requests for information related to allegations of tax evasion by US citizens for accounts held in our offshore banks, could be refused by Antigua & Barbuda… because we had no income tax.”

“… With the imposition of the PIT however, personal income tax evasion is now a criminal offence and according to the requirements of the MLAT, Antigua & Barbuda is now required to help the US in enquiries of this nature.”

In part two of this article, Mr. Maginley will cover why he believes the US took its decision to withdraw from the WTO, discuss the attack on online gaming and the co-ordinated effort against the entire offshore financial sector.

Bob Evans, CEO of Churchill Downs, told a group at their business luncheon that Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby could be the ‘new online casinos in the future catering to non-US citizens’.

Mr. Evans said his company is allowed to have an online presence because of the exemption for Internet horse wagering put in the UIGEA. He emphasized his company would be allowed to offer casino and gambling games outside of horse racing if they offered them to non-US citizens.

“Given the fact that the Kentucky Derby (and) Churchill Downs… are world renowned brands, why wouldn’t we use those brands to enter into businesses that are outside our traditional core of thoroughbred racing,” Evans said.

These comments are inflammatory, given the US stance on the WTO ruling which sided against the US and in favor of Antigua. The US response to that ruling was to say they never intended to include gambling in the fair trade agreement, that they hold their position that online gambling is morally wrong and is not a service available to anyone in the US therefore not a reciprocal trade item.

Great Britain should be up in arms! The US has almost single-handedly destroyed the legal gaming sector in the UK, put hundreds of people out of work, confiscated millions of dollars in customer and company funds, arrested its citizens operating lawfully in the UK and this twit tells a business group that they, a US corporation, can legally operate a casino in the UK if they want to due to the carve outs awarded them in the UIGEA.

Your move, England.

Paul Wolfowitz, President of World Bank, announced he would resign his position by the end of June, leaving under a dark cloud that stemmed from a controversy regarding a $50,000 pay raise with a guarantee of further raises and promotions that he engineered for Shaha Ali Riza. Ms. Riza is also employed at World Bank and is and has been Wolfowitz’s girlfriend since before his assignment as President.

Wolfowitz was appointed President of World Bank by President George W. Bush. Traditionally, the US has the right to choose the president given the fact that they are the bank’s largest donor. Europeans choose the head of the International Monetary Fund.

Back in 2005 when Wolfowitz was mentioned as a possible candidate, opposition to his appointment (and there was a lot of it) was based on the fact that his girlfriend worked for the bank and therefore a conflict of interest existed. Opponents also believed the World Bank appointment was payback for a political favorite of the Bush administration and would not be in the best interest of World Bank. President Bush appointed Wolfowitz, who previously held the position of US Deputy Secretary of Defense, as President of World Bank effective June of 2005

Ok enough history. Hindsight and foresight and all that aside, you would think that a reasonably intelligent person would know going into the job that he would be under scrutiny in his dealings in any controversial areas. Especially anything having to do with his girlfriend. End result: Wolfie cuts a sweetheart deal for his sweetie, loses his job and the White House takes another black eye for promoting loyalty rather than ability.

The White House said it would have a new candidate to announce soon. Possible candidates are former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who was Bush’s former trade chief; Robert Kimmitt, the No. 2 at the Treasury Department; Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson; Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.; Stanley Fischer, who once worked at the International Monetary Fund and is now with the Bank of Israel; former Republican Congressman Jim Leach, and Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist . Sources have pretty much ruled out Fischer and Volcker since the White House will probably want someone more in line with Republican policies.

‘More in line with Republican policies’ can be translated into ‘who does the White House owe the most to for loyalty and support’. Any appointment for President based on political favoritism will put the World Bank in a tenuous position. The fear is that protectionism is coming and the US is leading the charge. Senator Frist has already involved the US in charges of protectionism and political favoring, abetted by former Congressman Jim Leach, with the passage of UIGEA. Frist’s underhanded method of getting the UIGEA passed in payment for political support, his total lack of concern regarding the ruling by the WTO and the ramifications the legislation would have for the US and the WTO; all of his sidewinding antics displays his complete unsuitability for the position. Please notice that both former Senator Frist and former Congressman Leach are on the short list for the job. As former Senate Majority Leader, Frist stands in line to be owed the most by the Bush administration.

The White House may be setting itself up for another black eye by appointing either of these two men but the World Bank will be the one that will go down for the count.

During a discussion on the aggressive stance David Carruthers and his legal team has undertaken in response to his arrest in connection with online gambling site BetOnSports, Games and Casino’s own Dominique expressed her views on actions, catalysts and free speech.

“We sorely need injured parties like the UK to speak up. David C. has the right idea, he appeals to the various affected British channels.

The EU also has a bone to pick with the US regarding this. Also, the civil liberties organizations within the US need to be approached regularly about the issue.

Sitting there and shrugging one’s shoulders, saying:”the US is a bully and we can’t do anything to defend ourselves” is self defeating for all, US citizens and non US.

One thing we can all still do is speak up and be heard. It’s getting a bit better on that count, at least we get coverage from main street media now.

It’s going to be an uphill battle. David may well be a catalyst, his trial will certainly be the first time the DOJ has to actually address and push the issue in a court setting.

The US government has been taken over by Christian fundamentalists, the same way Iran was taken over by Muslim fundamentalists.

While I have no beef with either religion, fundamentalists in general tend to roll back human development to a medieval state. Religions in general tend to grow with the times, incorporating general human freedoms and abolishing violence as enforcement of rules. Fundamentalists roll this back to a much earlier state.

Any group of people that fervently believes they are the only ones who hold the answers to life’s problems and enforces compliance by others is a danger to humanity.

Doesn’t matter if they are religious fundamentalists or political fundamentalists (as in fundamentalist communism or nazism), they will ignore all other factors and stick to a bare bone, age old doctrine that destroys society as it has evolved over the centuries.

The granting of basic human freedoms is a relatively new phenomenon in society, and overall quality of life has improved immensely because of it.

We try not to have things like the inquisition and genocide because of the granting of individual freedoms.

Rolling this development back is a very very dangerous proposition!

I don’t think most US citizens are aware at all what is happening here. One by one, civil liberties are being eroded under the name of protection against terrorism. Guess what - the terrorists have won. Western societies are becoming just as fundamentalist as the radical muslims. Our freedoms are going out the window, one by one.

The way EVERYONE can defend themselves (still) is by using free speech while we have it.

My hat off to you, David! So much hinges on your success, not to mention your own life. I believe you are on the right track and wish you ALL the success!”