Thursday, December 28, 2006

Israeli police have begun to crack down on internet gambling operators,
including those who run backgammon websites. Some of the more prominent
online gambling firms are run by Israelis including PokerStars, 888.com and
Titan Poker. While the majority of Israeli owned online gambling businesses
are based out of places like Gibraltar and The Isle of Man (similar to US
businessmen running internet gambling companies from Costa Rica and
Antigua), many of these websites contract employees within Israel for
marketing purposes. According to OnlineCasinoNews.com, reports suggested
that Major General Yohanan Danino, head of the Police Investigations and
Intelligence Unit, had notified Interlogic, which operates the Play 65
internet site, that both the police and the attorney general consider the
operation of a gambling site for backgammon games a criminal offence. The
official warned the company that it must cease to allow players on the site
to gamble real money on the results of the game, even though the game of
backgammon itself, or gambling with virtual money, is not prohibited.