Off Shore Gaming Association

Reports from Ex-Employees of beleaguered Costa Rican sportsbook have confirmed that all employees are beginning to see a portion of their severance pay.

BETonSPORTS is contacting each employee and calling them down to Mall San Pedro, where BETonSPORTS still occupies some office space. The employees are given 15% of what they are owed. If the amount is very small, employees are receiving cash. For larger amounts checks are being issued. This began last week and as of this writing, most employees have received this initial portion of monies owed.

According to Costa Rica law, every employee who is let go from a company gets a severance pay equal to a portion of thier salary, times the length of employment. This is serious business in Costa Rica and we have been told that once the employees receive all of their owed severance, then money will begin to flow to US customers.

The November 9th Permanent Restraining Order gave the ability to BETonSPORTS to begin to collect money that is being held by processors and banks. In addition, this new order gave BETonSPORTS the ability to begin to sell off assets to pay this severance, players owed and potentially … shareholders.

BETonSPORTS did sell off Hooball for over $2 million and is actively looking to collect more monies and liquidate assets to pay these outstanding debts. Reports indicate that they would like to resolve these issues before their next court date in January.

No Comments »

As of November 28th, 2006, all Bowmans.com players registered in the USA will receive their online gaming and telephone betting service from Bodog.com.

An established player in the e-gaming industry, Antigua-based Bodog is one of the world�s fastest growing media and digital entertainment companies. As a new Bodog customer, you will have full access to their comprehensive suite of online gaming and betting services.

All plaer account details are being seamlessly migrated to Bodog.com, giving players instant access to Bodog.com. All bets and deposits will be honored. Players can find details about your Bodog account number and password on an email that we have sent you. This also includes details of a special offer to say thanks.

We have had several Bowmans players tell us that they have recceived this email and already logged into Bodog.com.

Because Bowmans and Bodog have both signed confidentiality agreements, you can rest assured that all customer data will be kept confidential between the two companies. Please refer to Bodog�s Privacy Policy for further information about how your data will be protected.

We�re sure you�ll enjoy getting in the game with Bodog.com, but if you�d prefer not to continue your custom with them, you can of course withdraw all funds from your account without charge. If you have any questions regarding the transfer of your account, please contact Bodog�s dedicated customer team on 1-888-263-0000

No Comments »

As a current member of Canbet we wish to inform you that as from November 30th 2006, players that reside in the USA will no longer be able to gain access to place sports and casino bets at Canbet. Canbet Poker remains unavailable to USA players.

The blocking of players from the USA is a result of Canbet’s response to the recent Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.

Canbet customers not resident in the USA can continue to enjoy the full range of Canbet products, including North American Sports.

USA-residents who wish to make a withdrawal may do so at any time. For more information on the various withdrawal options available, please Click here, or contact Canbet Customer Support at mail@canbet.com or 1-800-399-8063.

Please note that due to the practical limitations of the service providers, withdrawal requests may take up to 24 hours to be processed.

All bets that are placed on or before November 30th 2006 by residents of the USA (including pending bets) will stand and be honored by Canbet.

Canbet, a UK licensed and regulated organization, will continue to operate in all other global jurisdictions. We appreciate your loyalty, and look forward to dealing with USA residents in the future should the regulation change at a later date.

Regards,

Canbet Team
www.canbet.com
mail@canbet.com
International: +61 3 9948 9830
US: 1-800-399-8063

No Comments »

We have been getting a slew of calls and emails regarding Pro 5 Sports. Last Thursday when a Costa Rica based communications company, Digital Solutions, was named in an indictment against a large New York bookie ring. The website that was mentioned in the charges against Giordano’s ring was playwithal.com.

We have heard of rumors that this site was connected with Pro 5 Sports and playhorizon.com. In fact, the Internet records for each of these three websites, list the same bogus address, contact person and phone number. All three sites were registered within three weeks of each other.

We attempted to reach their hosting company and did get an operator on the phone. We were told that the wesbites were taken down because of ” non-payment of bills.”

It appears that both Pro 5 and playhorizon were affiliated with playwithal.com and the Giordano case. At this time there is no way to contact Pro 5.

We are looking into bailout options for players…..please check back later this week.

1 Comment »

For your convenience, all BetWWTS Canadian player account details are being migrated to Bowmans.com. We appreciate these changes may come as a surprise to you, but we hope you will enjoy all the great benefits of becoming a Bowmans customer!

All you have to do to get started at Bowmans.com and receive a 10% free bonus on your account balance is login. Bowmans will send you an email with all the information required. This offer is something we have not seen from a sportsbook before. Though many players may want to cash out, Bowmans is the one that started it all over 20 years ago and and is as solid as they come. We urge Canadian players to give Bowmans a chance to prove it.

As it takes a little time to reward everyone with the 10% free bonus we hope you will bare with the technical and accounting people at Bowmans while the Bowmans.com website is upgraded for account maintenance.

For more information about this offer from Bowmans, click here.

Bowmans anticiaptes that their website will be back on line after 2:00 PM EST and then you will be able to log straight in at Bowmans.com.

No Comments »

St. Louis, Missouri: BETONSPORTS, PLC and the United States have reached an agreement to an Order of Permanent Injunction, building upon the Temporary Restraining Order previously entered on July 17, 2006, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced today.

The court found that Betonsports PLC, a publicly traded holding company incorporated in the United Kingdom, did business in the United States by conducting illegal gambling businesses that offered wagering on sports and sporting events through Internet web sites and toll-free telephone services. Betonsports PLC took in wagers amounting to $1,104,519,000 in 2002, $1,238,459,000 in 2003 and $1,252,328,000 in 2004. Ninety-eight percent of this money was illegally taken in as sports wagers from gamblers in the United States, who placed their bets using toll-free telephone services and Internet web sites in reliance on fraudulent representations that to do so was legal. In fact, the Court found that such online gambling violates federal law. The Court�s extensive findings of fact supporting the Permanent Injunction were based upon the record of the firm�s and its associates� criminal conduct, a record that Betonsports PLC did not challenge (although it did not formally admit the factual findings).

Pursuant to the permanent injunction, the following requirements apply to BetonSports PLC, its agents, contractors and other entities, its officers, employees and all persons participating in or assisting in the operation. They are prohibited:

(1) from continuing to perpetrate a fraudulent scheme of operating an illegal gambling business through Internet web sites and telephone services in violation of 18 U.S.C. �� 1341 & 1343;

(2) from continuing to operate or control or cause the operation of any web site that purports to offer sports betting, or transmit betting information in the United States;

(3) from continuing to operate or control or cause the operation of any telephone service that purports to offer sports betting, or transmit betting information in the United States;

(4) from soliciting and accepting wagers on sports and sporting events from persons in the jurisdiction of the United States;

(5) from causing the transmission of wagering information using interstate and international wire communications facilities within the United States;

(6) from causing the transmission of funds solicited from persons in the United States for the purpose of placing wagers on sports and sporting events to the defendant and its agents outside the United States;

(7) from advertising, by any method, or in any media, or causing the advertising of any gambling activity which is in violation of United States law, specifically 18 U.S.C. � 1084 (the �Wire Wager Act�);

(8) from transporting gambling paraphernalia, or causing the transportation of gambling paraphernalia in the United States, in violation of United States law, specifically 18 U.S.C. � 1952;

(9) from transferring or causing the transfer of funds to the United States, within the United States, or from the United States in violation of United States law, specifically 18 U.S.C. �� 1956 and 1957; and

(10) from causing persons or items to move in interstate or foreign commerce within the United States in violation of United States law, specifically 18 U.S.C. �� 1952 and 1953.

FURTHER, BETONSPORTS PLC is ordered to:

(11) inform any current providers of telephone services 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;

(12) return to the sender the balance of funds in its possession as of July 17, 2006, received from persons in the United States, for the purpose of opening a sports betting wagering account;

(13) set up a toll free telephone service for each web site it operated that was accessible from the United States, 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;

(14) direct and advise the United States Patent and Trademark Office that they relinquish rights to and cancels the following U.S. trademarks used by them in the illegal enterprise: BETONSPORTS.COM; NASA SPORTS BOOK; WAGERMALL.COM; MILLENNIUM SPORTS; BETTOR’S TRUST; JAGUAR SPORTS INTERNATIONAL; ROCK ISLAND SPORTS; GIBRALTAR SPORTS; and INFINITY SPORTS INTERNATIONAL. This Order does not apply to the defendant�s use of these trade names outside the jurisdiction of the United States, so long as the defendant does not represent any of these trade names as being U.S. trademarked.

(15) 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.

(16) must provide an automated message on each telephone wagering service it operates in the United States, stating the following:

THIS TELEPHONE SERVICE 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 ON THIS TELEPHONE LINE. IF YOU HAVE A WAGERING ACCOUNT WITH THE OPERATORS OF THIS TELEPHONE LINE, HANG UP AND CALL 866-481-3057 TO ARRANGE A REFUND.

(17) must place the following statement as a full page advertisement in a newspaper of national U.S. circulation (i.e., The Wall Street Journal or USA Today];

BETONSPORTS PLC, WHICH OWNS AND OPERATES THE LISTED INTERNET WEB SITES AND TELEPHONE BETTING SERVICES IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING WAGERS FROM PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES LAW TO TRANSMIT SPORTS WAGERS OR BETTING INFORMATION USING INTERSTATE OR INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE LINES. IF YOU HAVE A WAGERING ACCOUNT WITH A BETONSPORTS PLC SPORTSBOOK OR TELEPHONE WAGERING SERVICE, PLEASE CALL 866-481-3057 TO ARRANGE A REFUND.

2 Comments »