Online Sportsbook Case Dismissed
Published: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
ONLINE SPORTSBOOK CASE DISMISSED
Too many delays and no show witnesses mar prosecution case
The Jamaica Observer this week carried a story on the long-running and frustrating attempts of the state to prosecute an online sportsbook shut down last year in Montego Bay.
The case against owner Spiros Athanas, whose Montego Bay based Internet gambling company was closed for breaches of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission Act (BGLC), has been dismissed, allowing the owner to resume his activities provided that local bets are not taken.
The case against Athanas collapsed and all eight charges were dismissed after the prosecution's main witness, one Michael Surridge failed to give testimony. The latest no-show was just one of a series of delays in which witnesses were not available.
Athanas is believed to be the name behind Olympic Sports. The newspaper reports that his commercial ventures were initially granted a licence to operate a telemarketing business from the Montego Bay free zone, but branched out into gambling, taking bets from around the world, including or so it was alleged, from Jamaica in contravention of the terms of the license.
