Thursday, September 28, 2006

British bookmaker William Hill said today it had stopped taking casino and
poker bets from US customers amid confusion over internet gambling laws
there. Online sports betting contravenes the 1961 Wire Act in America, which
bans the placing of bets on sporting events via the telephone line in the
states. William Hill already has measures in place to prevent American
gamblers logging onto its website and placing bets on sports events. But the
firm said it was also pulling out of casino and poker until there was a
better understanding over how the law will affect its business. William Hill
said in a statement it would not accept casino or poker business from
customers with a US address or US-issued credit card. Chief executive David
Harding said: "The advice we have had is that online gambling is not illegal
under the Wire Act, but there are clearly attempts within the US to make it
illegal. "Given the debate in the Senate about changes to internet gambling,
we just decided this was the most prudent course of action. "We are small in
the US and have never marketed ourselves in the states. It is just an outlet
for US customers if they come across us on the internet."