Internet Gambling Attorney Sees Legal Online Gambling Coming To All 50 States

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n 2010, British online gambling company Sportingbet PLC (www.sportingbet.com) paid the U.S. government $33 million to settle a prosecution for illegally accepting online wagers for years from U.S. residents.

The landmark settlement, brokered by Sportingbet attorneys Stuart Slotnick and his father, Barry, was viewed as a huge success by the Internet gambling firm because no Sportingbet officials went to prison and the firm was allowed to stay in business and continue offering wagering to the rest of the world.

Most importantly, the $33 million fine was just a fourth of what competitor PartyGaming had to pay in a similar prosecution.

Since the Sportingbet settlement, a lot has happened in the online gambling industry, especially as it pertains to the legal situation in the USA.

In 2010, online gambling wasn't legal in any U.S. state.

Now it is legal in three--Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware--with more likely to come and soon.

So with the industry in such a state of flux, Gambling 911 took the opportunity earlier this week to catch up with Sportingbet attorney and online gambling expert Stuart Slotnick, of the New York law firm Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney PC (www.bipc.com), for his views on where the industry is headed.

Workplace gambling: The new health and safety risk?

On the surface, gambling may not seem like the kind of thing that would pose a health and safety risk at work.

But according to Joel Zyngier, senior associate at Holding Redlich, the issue of employees gambling at work or using work equipment to gamble needs to be treated as an occupational health and safety risk – especially since problem gambling has been formally recognised as an addictive disorder.

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With the proliferation of smartphones and similar mobile technology, there is a greater chance that gambling is taking place at work, said Zyngier.

He recommended that employers conduct a risk assessment and put a management plan in place to avoid it becoming a problem.

“Gambling is a risky business and that includes the risks to employers if they allow employees to become unwell in part by exercising their gambling habit at work,” Zyngier said.

“Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, all employers must ensure they provide and maintain a workplace which is safe and without risks to health. Because problem gambling is a health risk, it therefore activates an employer’s duties under the act. This means not taking reasonable steps to prevent gambling at work could be seen as a breach of this act, exposing an employer to risk of prosecution and penalties.”

Amaya Gaming Looks To Calm PokerStars Acquisition Rumors

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Amaya Gaming’s share price rose 5% on rumors that it was in pursuit of a possible acquisition.  The main target appears to be the world’s largest online poker room, PokerStars. Such a move would allow Stars to re-enter the US market on a clean slate.

The company was forced to issue a response Monday afternoon.

“In response to trading activity that may stem from market rumours that have come to the company’s attention regarding a potential strategic acquisition, Amaya stated today that … [it] regularly evaluates potential acquisition opportunities,” the company, which provides gaming products and services for both online and physical gambling industries, said in a statement.

“There can be no assurance that any such discussions will ultimately lead to a transaction.”

Amaya Gaming is likely planning to sell its poker platform, Ongame Network, by the end of second quarter in order to finance “a significant acquisition,” Neil Linsdell, analyst with Industrial Alliance Securities, wrote in a May 20 note.