Online Casino News - Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Betcha Site Owner

Vindication has finally come to Betcha.com owner, Nick Jenkin's, who was arrested and extradited to Louisana over a year ago on charges that he was operating an illegal online gambling operation. Taking his case to the Louisiana Court of Appeals Division II, Jenkins was cleared of any criminal charges on the basis that his site allowed bettors to renege their bets. A slap in the face of the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, the ruling is something of a personal victory for Jenkins more so than it is for the online gambling industry as a whole.

What Jenkins was essentially doing was operating Betcha.com on the honor system. While bettors are not obliged to pay when they lose a wager, it is strongly urged they do so simply because it's the right thing to do. This was the stipulation in which the Court of Appeals was able to overrule the actions of the Louisiana AG. Since nothing is actually "risked", which is the definition of gambling, Betcha.com could not be classified as a "gambling" operation.

Jenkins, who lives in Seattle, said that while he is very pleased to be granted his vindication, he is still uneasy about starting up his website once again. With the government "standing on your neck", not to mention the discrepancy between State laws, it would be an uneasy and unpredictable road launching Betcha.com to the mainstream once again.

Whether Jenkins gives Betcha the green light or not, there's a good chance it, or other sites just like it, will see the light of day. The concept of reneging bets certainly is an original one for an online betting site. And apparently, it was working out well when Betcha.com was doing business over the World Wide Web. One thing is for sure. The Louisiana AG's office won't be so quick to flex its muscles and extradite everything under the sun that could be classified a gambling destination.