When you play with fire you are likely to get burned.  David Carruthers, chief executive officer of BetonSports has been sentenced to three years in prison.  As its name indicates, BetonSports received wagers on professional sports and was not just a mere online casino.  While there are no clear laws on the United States’ book about online casinos, it is pretty clear that betting on sports is illegal in the United States, except in Nevada.

BetonSports took sports betting wagers from no less than tens of thousands of United States residents.  At the top of its game BetonSports was one of the more successful online gambling outfits.  The company grossed roughly $1.25 billion. 

The United States District Court Judge Carol E. Jackson has not been very lenient on Carruthers.  Carruthers has already spent the last three years of his life under house arrest while awaiting his day in court.  Despite is time served Judge Jackson sentenced him to an additional thirty three months behind bars.  Carruthers’ house arrest was a part of his plea bargain when he pled guilty to one count of racketeering. 

At the end of the day Carruthers may be spending more time behind bars than he needed to because he rubbed the Judge wrong.  According to Judge Jackson she sentenced Carruthers to more time because she did not believe Carruthers when he said that he did not know until later that his gambling operation was in violation of United States law.  However, according to Carruthers he did not believe his company, traded publicly on the London Stock exchange, could be illegal.