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Sportingbet chairman held in US
The chairman of the UK-based gambling firm Sportingbet is due to appear in a US court later, though details of any charges remain unclear.
Peter Dicks, 64, was arrested by US authorities in Dallas as he passed through the USA on the way to his company's offices in Costa Rica.
Mr Dicks's arrest follows July's detention on racketeering charges of rival Betonsports' chief.
The arrests are seen as part of US moves to tackle internet gambling.
Sportingbet's shares were suspended on the London stock exchange after news of Mr Dicks arrest.
Shares blow
The announcement dealt a blow to other gambling firms, with shares in Partypoker plunging more than 11% and 888 Holdings sinking almost 17%.
Sportingbet declined to say why Mr Dicks had been arrested or where he was being held ahead of a hearing later.
News of the arrest came hours after the firm announced it was in talks with smaller rival World Gaming about a potential £56.6m takeover.
The company, which also owns the Paradise Poker brand, has more than 2.5 million customers signed and an annual turnover of more than $1.2bn (£630m).
In the US, online gaming is a $12bn a year business that is expanding despite the government's opinion that it violates a law against placing interstate bets using telephone lines.
This has prompted Congress to propose a US law banning banks and credit card companies from processing internet gambling payments.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr.../business/5323596.stm
The chairman of the UK-based gambling firm Sportingbet is due to appear in a US court later, though details of any charges remain unclear.
Peter Dicks, 64, was arrested by US authorities in Dallas as he passed through the USA on the way to his company's offices in Costa Rica.
Mr Dicks's arrest follows July's detention on racketeering charges of rival Betonsports' chief.
The arrests are seen as part of US moves to tackle internet gambling.
Sportingbet's shares were suspended on the London stock exchange after news of Mr Dicks arrest.
Shares blow
The announcement dealt a blow to other gambling firms, with shares in Partypoker plunging more than 11% and 888 Holdings sinking almost 17%.
Sportingbet declined to say why Mr Dicks had been arrested or where he was being held ahead of a hearing later.
News of the arrest came hours after the firm announced it was in talks with smaller rival World Gaming about a potential £56.6m takeover.
The company, which also owns the Paradise Poker brand, has more than 2.5 million customers signed and an annual turnover of more than $1.2bn (£630m).
In the US, online gaming is a $12bn a year business that is expanding despite the government's opinion that it violates a law against placing interstate bets using telephone lines.
This has prompted Congress to propose a US law banning banks and credit card companies from processing internet gambling payments.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr.../business/5323596.stm
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