Online Gambling Website Shut Down By Washington Supreme Court

Online sports gambling is illegal in the US, but Bethca.com founders thought they had found a loophole that would allow gamblers the opportunity to bet. The gamblers would place a bet, but did not have to pay if they lost. The fact that the bettors did not have to pay was the reason that Betcha.com founder Nicholas Jenkins felt that his website had circumvented the gaming laws in Washington and at a federal level. The Washington state Supreme Court, however, issued a ruling that could shut down the site for good.

The justices ruled that the actual opt out clause for bettors does not even come into play when dealing with online gambling laws. The premise that Betcha.com took fees for processing the bets, and also took a percentage of the action, made the site illegal.

"Under the statutory definition of bookmaking, it is immaterial whether or not Betcha users were engaged in gambling activity," wrote Justice Tom Chambers. Jenkins did not agree with the ruling, and wondered whether or not the justices even took the case seriously.

"Never in a million years did I expect an opinion like this one," wrote Jenkins in a blog post, as reported by The Associated Press. "The court's error is so obvious that I wonder if a single justice even cracked our brief, let alone the Revised Code of Washington."

US lawmakers are seeking to overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Even if successful, the new laws regarding Internet gambling would still maintain that sports wagering would be illegal online. Sports betting is illegal everywhere in the US outside of Delaware and Nevada.

Betcha.com allowed gamblers to place wagers up to $1,000 on various sporting events and other entertainment events. The gambler would place money into an account, and it would be held, just to show the bettor could cover the bet. Once the event is completed, the gambler had seventy-two hours to decide to pay the bet.

If the gambler chose not to pay the wager, their rating would be negatively affected, causing other gamblers to possibly stay away from betting with that gambler. In the ruling, the justices outlined how Betcha.com has been breaking the law, but no charges have been filed against the site's organizers.

September 3, 2010
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
Submit News!

Alabama Supreme Court Again Aids Gambling Task Force
The Well Receives More Bad Publicity With Gambling Bust
Consequences May Heighten For Gambling Parents Leaving Kids In Car
Gamblers Take To The Streets In Alabama In Support Of Bingo Halls
With Casino Coming, Cleveland Police Raid Illegal Gambling Club