One of the United States' most protracted and public battles against online gambling is finally drawing to a close. For more than three years the fate of BetOnSports executives like David Carruthers have hung in the balance as federal courts wavered over how to set the precedent for Wire Act violations.
In December, BetOnSports founder Gary Kaplan received nearly four years in federal prison. Last week, former BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers received a sentence of just short of three years in prison. Carruthers is not even a citizen of the United States, and though the company was operating out of Costa Rica at the time of his arrest, Carruthers immediately plead guilty when charged with racketeering in 2006.
While many of Carruthers' supporters felt that the sentence was harsh in light of his early cooperation and key testimonials, anti-gambling officials have expressed the necessity of making the BetOnSports case an example for other online gambling companies that continue to violate the terms of the Wire Act.
