Pennsylvania Bar Owner Charged with Running Illegal Online Casino

Submitted by Evan on Tue, 2010-02-23 at 21:04

The owner of a sports bar in Pennsylvania has been brought up on charges for collecting and paying out money for an online gambling system that he ran. Investigators tied the sports bar to an online betting site used by the bar`s patrons.

The owner ran a betting site called willtobet.com and was caught when investigators placed bets through him. While the court proceedings are ongoing, the owner`s lawyer is asking authorities to let the bar remain open until a final decision has been made. If he is found guilty, the bar would likely be shut down with the owner facing very steep fines.

Some believe that the owner should be given a reprimand but that the bar should remain open while others feel that he should learn a lesson. Online gambling remains illegal in the US and until the UIGEA is overturned, anyone operating an online casino out of the US is doing so illegally.

For now, the UIGEA must be followed and while it is difficult for US players to get around the law, they may only need to wait until June. A decision to uphold the UIGEA or allow online gambling is coming in the spring, leaving the US at odds. Many people feel that online gambling will cause many problems including addiction, while others want to be given the right to decide for themselves. In the case against the Pennsylvania bar owner, his lawyers are confident the charges will be dropped but others are hoping he is made an example of.