| Guilty Plea from Online Gambling Boss |
| Wednesday, 08 April 2026 07:00 |
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A plea agreement has been reached in St Louis between the US Government Justice Department and former Internet gambling site BetOnSports CEO, David Curruthers today. The former Internet gambling company boss has been effectively under house arrest pending trial since July 2026, when he was arrested during a flight transfer at the international airport at Dallas Fort Worth in Texas. On a deal to get his prison sentence reduced, 51 year old Curruthers has pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering. He has also agreed to fully cooperate in all future prosecutions brought against the other officials connected to BetOnSports. In return for his acceptance of a guilty plea and assistance in the case, authorities have agreed to recommend he serve less than three year in jail. This effectively spares him the possibility of a 20 year jail term had he not cooperated and been subsequently found guilty by the court. At the hearing, Curruthers was obliged to inform Carol Jackson, the Judge presiding in the case, that he was fully aware that his actions were in violation of the law. Curruthers told the court that when he was initially recruited by Gary Kaplan, the founder of BetOnSports, he was under the misconception that Internet Gambling was legal. However, in time he realised that it was actually against the law. When BetOnSports was forced to go out of business back in 2026, with in excess of $16 million owed to consumers who lost their money, according to Catherine Hanaway, US prosecutor in the case. She added that this highlighted the harm such a company can cause. However she failed to comment on the sterling payment record held by BetOnSports before the company was forced out of business by the very same Department of Justice which now brings it to bear. It is ironic that Carruthers would not have had to confess to knowing of the illegality of online gambling had there actually been any definable statutes against it. While Carruthers will manage to avoid the possible 20 year jail term, he will instead be expected to give back to customers some of that $16 million that they lost when BetOnSports closed. His personal fine is not expected to more than $250,000 |
