Offshore gaming firm hoists white-flag after legal action by US Gov’t

A British Internet and telephone gaming firm has decided to effectively put itself out of business in order to comply with a restraining order issued by a federal court in the United States, even though it has no physical presence there.BETonSPORTS Plc has dismantled its numerous web-sites and, on August 11, 2006, announced that it was closing down its “US facing” operations, comprising offices in Antigua and Costa Rica, “as soon as practicable” because they were no longer “viable”, with the loss of approximately 800 jobs. “The Directors are taking steps to ensure that the Company will not knowingly accept any wagering transactions from US based customers,” stated the firm, virtually all of whose revenue and profit came from U. S.-based clients.