Former Canbet Exec Sues The Firm

The Age newspaper in Australia reports that Michael Tomeny, the former head of online bookmaking business Canbet, is suing the company for defamation over an announcement it issued just prior to him launching his own gambling website, Mansion Sports in the Gibraltar jurisdiction last September.

Tomeny was Canbet's executive director from February 2000 until April 2003. He is suing Canbet and International All Sports over the contents of an update of the merger between the two groups emailed to customers in August 2004.

In documents lodged with the Supreme Court of Victoria, Tomeny claims the document suggests he was responsible for poor performance and business practices at Canbet, that he failed as a manager and that he performed so poorly Canbet removed him.

But Tomeny says he left because he believed Canbet should be based in Britain in the face of increasing legislative hostility to online gambling in Australia. He also claims the company was in good shape when he departed.

International All Sports chief executive Robert Edge said the company intended to defend the allegations.