A federal court Wednesday extended until July 31 a temporary restraining order that prohibits BetOnSports PLC, the British online gambling company, from taking bets from the United States.
A hearing on the new order is scheduled for Monday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. The new order, signed by Judge Catherine Perry, extends a July 17 order that was set to expire after 10 days.
The temporary order is part of a civil case brought by the U.S. government to stop U.S. betting with BetOnSports. In addition, the FBI instructed telephone companies to stop providing phone service to BetOnSports.
The U.S. government also has filed a criminal case and 22-count indictment accusing BetOnSports of fraudulently taking bets from U.S. residents by phone and the Internet and failing to pay excise taxes.
As part of the criminal case, BetOnSports’ Chief Executive David Carruthers, was arrested July 16 during a layover at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. BetOnSports announced Tuesday it had ended his employment as a result of his “continued detention by U.S. authorities.”
Ten others were named in the indictment, including Gary Kaplan, the BetOnSports founder, who has not been apprehended.
From the Associated Press