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NEW YORK - February 14, 2007 is going to be a very
important date in the world of online casinos. As the US government
aggressively attacks online casinos, the world watches with held breath. On St.
Valentine’s Day of this year the US court judge will preside over the
preliminary hearing for the co-founders of NETeller. NETeller is most popular
for it online casino payment services.
Canadian founders John Lefebvre, 55 and Stephan Lawrence,
46, were arrested earlier this month for violating the anti online casino
gambling Act. They have been accused of handling billions of dollars in wagers
and winnings.
Trading in their travel documents, Lefebvre and Lawrence
have both been released on $5 million bail. The US government must now press
formal charges against the businessmen and send them to the US Court for the
Southern District of New York by February 14th.
Lefebvre and Lawrence are not the first examples to be made
in regards to the new US policy toward online casinos. An executive from
BetOnSports was arrested a few months earlier.
A lawyer, defending one half of the accused party, believes
the arrests are a message from the US federal government. “I think they want to
stress the point that they are serious about enforcing gaming laws,” he said.
Consequences could be serious. The defendants could serve as much as 20 years a
piece if found guilty. Beyond them, the online casino industry stands in limbo,
fearing the loss of the huge gambling market found in the United States.
Lawyers are not optimistic. Very few online casino companies are based in the
US. One lawyer stated, “It’s not clear that this is a liable area of law
enforcement.”
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