US Government Releasing Online Gambling Funds To Winners

The US government has opened the process of giving online gambling winnings to people around the US who feel they are owed the money from BetOnSports.com. The websites founder, Gary Kaplan, reached a plea agreement with the US last week, and he was forced to hand over $43.65 million to the government.

The government, which is not in the business of giving away free found money, is preparing to allow customers of BetOnSports.com to fill out a petition stating why they are owed money. If everything checks out, the people might be entitled to receiving the funds.

It is not like the government will come away empty handed. They will keep whatever portion of the money that is not claimed. They also have the right to refuse any of the claims if they deem them inacurate.

One theory circulating was that the government would be using the information acquired through the process to check bank accounts and see what other online gambling sites the customers are using. With the online gambling laws up in the air, online customers have to be weary of where they put their money.

"It is not guaranteed, but there is a chance that the government is looking for more information," said observer Neil Brenar, "by acquiring customer information, they could be gaining a whole database of online gamblers. They then can trace the people to other illegal online gambling sites." Although an intriguing thought, there is no evidence that supports the theory of Brenar.

The customer is not actually the ones that are at risk. It is the companies that are operating illegally in the US that the government is targeting. Still, the release of the BetOnSports winnings has given some people the impression that the government is fishing for information.

On Tuesday, the government website forfeiture.gov published a notice asking for anyone who believes they are owed some of the $43.65 million seized to file a written petition for their lost funds.

August 19, 2009
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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