DICKS BACK IN COURT TOMORROW

(531) (27-September-2006)

Fight against extradition to Louisiana recommences

Tomorrow (Thursday) is an important day in court for ex-Sportingbet chairman Peter Dicks who will travel from London to New York to strenuously oppose an extradition request for him to be transferred to Louisiana to face state gambling charges.

Dicks was released on bail of $50 000 after being arrested on September 6 at a New York airport on a Louisiana warrant, and spent two days in custody until released on bail on the orders of Governor Pataki .

This week the lawyer defending Dicks's interests, Barry Slotnick recalled the dramatic events leading to Dicks's release: "We had an emergency hearing the night before court was to be held, and we argued before the governor's counsel that Peter Dicks had committed no crime in Louisiana. The governor's counsel heard us, and at 3 o'clock in the morning we were notified that the governor had withdrawn the extradition warrant."  The next day a judge released Dicks on condition he return for a further hearing September 28.

Louisiana passed legislation explicitly forbidding online gambling in 1997, but until the Dicks arrest no criminal suit had ever come from it.

Historically, nearly all extradition requests from one U.S. state to another are honoured, but this case is complicated by the fact that laws governing the Internet vary from state to state and country to country. Dicks hasn't even set foot in Louisiana for more than 20 years.

"A request to extradite requires that it meet certain legal standards," stated a spokesperson for Governor Pataki's office. "My understanding is that because cybersecurity and cybercrimes is such a new thing, our governor needs to be certain that it meets legal standards."

Should the extradition request be honoured, Dicks would be sent to Louisiana where he would likely enter a not-guilty plea and undergo a series of pre-trial motions before reaching a settlement.

"Louisiana is an infamous state for deal-making," says Emery Ledger , an attorney specialising in Internet gambling. "I anticipate a settlement, and there's some speculation going around that that's what this was all about anyhow."

Slotnick remains confident that his client will not have to defend against charges in Louisiana. "I expect that if the governor reinstitutes the warrant, we'll have legal arguments before a judge and we'll have a hearing, and at the end of the day Mr. Dicks will be going back to London, not to Louisiana."

Casino City News reports that in the aftermath of his arrest, Dicks has resigned as chairman of Sportingbet, but the company continues to offer online gambling to American customers through a host of websites, including Sportsbook.com, PlayersOnly.com, Sports.com, Aces.com and ParadisePoker.com. The company's shares have resumed trading on the London Stock Exchange after a two-day halt following his arrest.