Friday, September 08, 2006

As reported by Reuters: "The United States has arrested a second Internet
gaming executive, adding to fears it is cracking down on the lucrative
industry and sparking share price falls on Thursday that wiped over $1.5
billion off the market value of the sector. "Online bookmaker Sportingbet
Plc said its chairman, Peter Dicks, had been detained by U.S. authorities,
mirroring the detention in July of another online gaming CEO on racketeering
charges. "Dicks was arrested on Internet gambling charges as part of an
ongoing investigation into Sportingbet.com, said Senior Trooper Dwight
Robinette of the Louisiana State Police. ".Shares across the $12
billion-a-year industry fell sharply, with industry leader PartyGaming
plunging as much as 19 percent before closing 9.8 percent lower at 105-3/4
pence. 888 Holdings Plc dropped 15.8 percent."