Betcha.com entrepreneur gambles on legality of betting site
I'm sure you guys remember this site before the raid. Well, heres the latest on news on the Betcha.com saga.
Web entrepreneur gambles on legality of betting site
By MIKE LEWIS
P-I REPORTER
A local betting Web site entrepreneur faces possible extradition to Louisiana after authorities there charged the Seattle man with running an illegal gambling operation.
Nick Jenkins said he is awaiting Gov. Chris Gregoire's decision on whether or not to sign the extradition release requested by Louisiana prosecutors, who say Jenkins' now-defunct site, Betcha.com, violated federal and state laws against Internet-based gambling.
Jenkins, whose Seattle-based startup was raided by Washington State Gambling Commission investigators in early July, said his attorneys are trying to negotiate with the Governor's Office to delay any move until his Washington state case is heard.
A status hearing on the case and possible Louisiana charges is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
"Obviously, we think this is unfair, and we're hopeful we can get this resolved," said Jenkins, 38, who faces extradition along with two other Betcha.com owners. "We think our case is a good one."
Louisiana authorities became involved in the prosecution after a state trooper there placed a small bet as part of a joint investigation into online gambling. Jenkins said the site made 70 cents on that transaction.
The trouble for Betcha.com started when the Washington Gambling Commission contacted Jenkins, a Georgetown law graduate, about his Web site and asked him to shut it down as an illegal gambling site under a new state law.
Jenkins declined, saying that Betcha.com isn't governed under the Internet ban approved by the Legislature in summer 2006.
Modeled after popular auction sites that collect transaction fees, Betcha.com provided a forum for bettors to wager against one another on almost any topic, such as who will hit the first All-Star Game home run or who will win an Oscar. Individual gamblers received customer ratings based on payouts.
Because bets were not guaranteed nor backed by the site -- Betcha.com did not accept the bet, the gamblers did -- Jenkins said it was not illegal under state or federal law.
Thus, Jenkins contends, it doesn't meet the legal definition of gambling and isn't illegal.
The commission disagreed and raided his office in July, seizing laptops and computer monitors. Jenkins has since sued the state and is awaiting a November hearing in Thurston County.
Neither the commission nor the Governor's Office could be reached Tuesday for comment.
Jenkins' attorney, Lee Rousso, said there are several possible outcomes:
# Jenkins, along with former Betcha.com employees Josie Imlay and Peter Abrahamsen, both of Seattle, are extradited and held in Louisiana, pending appeal.
# Gregoire declines to sign the request and the three wait for the hearing on the legal status of the site.
# The trio are extradited, booked and released until the legality of Betcha.com is determined.
Late Tuesday, Rousso said he didn't know what would happen. "We think we've got a very good case against extradition," he said.
"We think we can get this stopped."
Rousso has his own suit pending against the state's ban on Internet poker.
Said Jenkins: "This whole thing is an injustice. That old notion that the law matters -- well, in this case, it ain't true."
By MIKE LEWIS
P-I REPORTER
A local betting Web site entrepreneur faces possible extradition to Louisiana after authorities there charged the Seattle man with running an illegal gambling operation.
Nick Jenkins said he is awaiting Gov. Chris Gregoire's decision on whether or not to sign the extradition release requested by Louisiana prosecutors, who say Jenkins' now-defunct site, Betcha.com, violated federal and state laws against Internet-based gambling.
Jenkins, whose Seattle-based startup was raided by Washington State Gambling Commission investigators in early July, said his attorneys are trying to negotiate with the Governor's Office to delay any move until his Washington state case is heard.
A status hearing on the case and possible Louisiana charges is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
"Obviously, we think this is unfair, and we're hopeful we can get this resolved," said Jenkins, 38, who faces extradition along with two other Betcha.com owners. "We think our case is a good one."
Louisiana authorities became involved in the prosecution after a state trooper there placed a small bet as part of a joint investigation into online gambling. Jenkins said the site made 70 cents on that transaction.
The trouble for Betcha.com started when the Washington Gambling Commission contacted Jenkins, a Georgetown law graduate, about his Web site and asked him to shut it down as an illegal gambling site under a new state law.
Jenkins declined, saying that Betcha.com isn't governed under the Internet ban approved by the Legislature in summer 2006.
Modeled after popular auction sites that collect transaction fees, Betcha.com provided a forum for bettors to wager against one another on almost any topic, such as who will hit the first All-Star Game home run or who will win an Oscar. Individual gamblers received customer ratings based on payouts.
Because bets were not guaranteed nor backed by the site -- Betcha.com did not accept the bet, the gamblers did -- Jenkins said it was not illegal under state or federal law.
Thus, Jenkins contends, it doesn't meet the legal definition of gambling and isn't illegal.
The commission disagreed and raided his office in July, seizing laptops and computer monitors. Jenkins has since sued the state and is awaiting a November hearing in Thurston County.
Neither the commission nor the Governor's Office could be reached Tuesday for comment.
Jenkins' attorney, Lee Rousso, said there are several possible outcomes:
# Jenkins, along with former Betcha.com employees Josie Imlay and Peter Abrahamsen, both of Seattle, are extradited and held in Louisiana, pending appeal.
# Gregoire declines to sign the request and the three wait for the hearing on the legal status of the site.
# The trio are extradited, booked and released until the legality of Betcha.com is determined.
Late Tuesday, Rousso said he didn't know what would happen. "We think we've got a very good case against extradition," he said.
"We think we can get this stopped."
Rousso has his own suit pending against the state's ban on Internet poker.
Said Jenkins: "This whole thing is an injustice. That old notion that the law matters -- well, in this case, it ain't true."