Internet gaming group BETonSPORTS , which removed its Chief Executive, David Carruthers, from his post following his detention in Texas last month, closed its U.S.A. facing business.

The company said it would cease operations in Costa Rica and Antigua, where its U.S. operations are based, because they were no longer viable amid a restraining order on the business and the charges faced by former Chief Executive David Carruthers.

BETonSPORTS said it would also pay any liabilities to staff and creditors and repay balances due to U.S. customers.

Carruthers and seven others have already pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges. A U.S. court had extended to August 14 an order barring the online bookmaker from taking U.S. bets.

The charges allege the company failed to pay U.S. excise taxes on more than $3.3 billion in wagers taken from U.S. bettors. The government is seeking forfeiture of $4.5 billion, removal of access to BETonSPORTS’s websites in the United States, and the return of money held for U.S. account holders. The United States is the bookmaker’s biggest market.

BetCorp Hangs Up USA Phone Wagering

Betcorp, the AIM-listed online gaming company, has announced that it is no longer taking telephone bets from American residents, and is reviewing its US-facing businesses which currently account for up to 85% of revenue, in the wake of the BetOnSports affair.

Chief executive Colin Walker explained that Betcorp would continue to monitor its US-facing businesses in the light of continued uncertainty about the legality of online gaming.

‘We’re registered in Antigua, where we take bets, and the view we had understood from our legal advisers was that we had been acting legally and appropriately. Recent events have cast that into doubt.’

Betcorp shares plummeted more than 40 …

Winning at Slots

If you love to play the slot machines, don’t be suckered into buying one of the “sure fire systems” to beat them that you may come across in a newspaper, magazine, “infomercial”, or in a direct mail advertisement. They’re all a big waste of money. The only “sure fire” thing about them is the profit it will generate for the developer.

It’s this simple: There are no systems to guarantee that you’ll win. When you play slot machines you’re playing a game of pure chance. The odds are always stacked against you because the computer chip that governs slot machine play is programmed to guarantee a profit for the casino. Period!

If you’re looking for a rational approach to “getting an edge” in slot play, consider these game plans: (A): “Smoke out” the machines that appear to be programmed to return a higher percentage of money back to the players or (B): Employ wise slot machine play along with prudent money management. My advice is to opt for strategy (B).

The widely accepted and recommended way to play the slots is to always play the maximum number of coins on each spin. For example, if you’re playing a 2-coin machine, drop in two coins every time. Similarly, if you’re playing a 3-coin machine, drop in three coins every time. The only problem is, cold machines can wipe out a $50 session bankroll in a hurry. If you’re playing a 2-coin dollar machine, 10 pulls with no return will eat up a twenty dollar bill in a minute.

In spite of the risk of catching cold machines, dropping in the maximum coins is the best way to play, but ONLY if you’re playing a progressive machine or if you’re playing a particular …