The United States is no friend to online gambling or online casinos.  That message is being made clear day after day.  Recent charges against the founder of BetOnSports has made it very clear that online gambling has a long way to go before the industry finds safe haven in the United States.  When United States law enforcement can crack down this hard on an online gambling company, it does not seem likely that online casinos will be legal in the United States any time soon.

BetOnSports was not an online casino.  As the name indicates BetOnSports allowed gamblers to make sports wagers online.  That practice is illegal in the United States.  Since 1997 the authorities in the United States have been investigating offshore sports betting.  BetOnSports landed on their radar back in 2001. 

Gary Kaplan, founder of the London based gambling firm, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.  Kaplan, 50, confessed to a variety of charges related to racketeering and fraud.  The United States court has demanded Kaplan give up more than $43 million in illicit earnings. 

That is a hefty price to pay, but that is not likely to break Kaplan’s bank.  Even United States authorities are certain that Kaplan has millions of dollars tucked away in Swiss bank accounts.  

At the height of his operation, Kaplan’s business was large enough to span the Caribbean.  Kaplan confessed to establishing offshore gambling businesses in Aruba, Costa Rica, and even Antigua.  From these satellites, Kaplan’s companies allowed United States citizens to place bets either over the Internet or using toll free numbers.