Gambling Executives Face Possible Arrest 28 Sep 2006 British gambling executives could be facing possible arrest on criminal charges in Germany if they set foot in the country. German officials from the interior ministries of Hesse and Bavaria states reported that gambling executives of foreign companies who let German residents place sports bets online are breaking the law which could lead to prosecution in the country.
Germany’s threat to foreign managers follows the recent arrests in the US and France of executives from overseas gambling firms. French state gambling officials also want to take a stricter stance: officials stated that they will continue to report offences by foreign gambling operators to the government, raising the possibility of more arrests of executives at offshore gambling firms. Attempting to enforce their monopoly on sports gambling, Hesse, Bavaria and Saxony ordered Bwin, an Austrian online gambling company, to stop advertising and offering betting services in their states.
It seems that the gambling industry online is going through a major change, with crackdowns taking place in countries other than the US. Although online gambling is legal and regulated in the UK, the rest of the world seems slow to adopting this popular activity and pastime as mainstream, legitimate, and legal. If this continues, the future of gambling on the Internet might be in jeopardy. How events will unfold remain to be seen. Surely online casino and gambling fans will closely follow developments regarding this important issue.
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31 January 2008
