When I first heard about the Arrest of BetOnSports CEO Carruthers in Dallas, I thought that he was foolishly operating the business out of the US. That was not the case:

It said that the Scot had been detained while changing flights in America en route from the UK to Costa Rica, where the company is based. It said that it was “seeking clarification as to the basis of the detention”.

Mr Carruthers, a former Ladbrokes executive, was changing flights at Dallas Fort Worth airport on Sunday evening when he was stopped while walking through the transit lounge with his wife.

The detention of Mr Carruthers, a British citizen resident in Costa Rica . . .

So he’s a British Citizen who lives in Costa Rica and the US decided to arrest him while he was changing planes. That’s downright dirty.

People sometimes complain about companies like Yahoo and Google and their buckling to Chinese Law. In fact, online gambling is legal and regulated in the UK and in Costa Rica where these sports books operate. But the US has no problems arresting forign citizens who have committed no crime on US soil and were in fact operating legitimate business in thier home countries. There is no difference between what the US did and you getting arrested on a flight layover in China for for publishing something about democracy on your website.

The hypocrisy on the issue of gambling makes me sick to my stomach. It would be one thing if our slimey scumbag politicians were against gambling across the board. For example, if we did not encourage gambling at every 7-11 through the state lottery and we outlawed all forms of gambling (like betting on poneys and on Indian reservations) then that would be one thing. It would still be retarded and an infringement on personal liberty in what was once the Home of the Free and the Brave, but at least it would not be hypocritical.

“Illegal commercial gambling across state and international borders is a crime,” said U.S Attorney Catherine Hanaway of the Eastern District of Missouri in a press release. “Misuse of the Internet to violate the law can ultimately only serve to harm legitimate businesses.

And when she says “Legitimate Business,” she is refferring of course to her campaign contributers like Riverboat Casino ($1,150 in 2002 race) and other casinos:

Republicans were once reluctant about accepting campaign cash from Las Vegas-based casino companies. This year, the party’s legislative leaders are receiving more than twice as much from casinos as Democrats. Key GOP-related committees received $90,320 from January to September, compared with $37,270 for Democrats.

House Minority Leader Catherine Hanaway, R-Warson Woods, solicited the donations, claiming that casinos were among over 300 businesses — from mothball factories to ham-curing plants — that she visited to bring in checks for the GOP.

‘My pitch is the same as it is with everybody: that there’s an unprecedented opportunity for Republicans to take the House, and we need financial support to deliver our message,’ Hanaway said.

I hate people like that. I really, really do. “Gambling is wrong . . . unless you contribute to my campaign. Then I’ll pass legislation to lower taxes for your casino.”

Today’s US policy on gambling is a function of one thing and one thing only: the political contributions of the brick and mortar casinos (like the Indian Reservations). The only thing driving our Gambling Policy today is political corruptions and bribes – and that is the real crime that is being perpetrated on the American public today.

The online gambling companies are begging to be legalized, taxed and regulated in the US. Just think of the tax revenue the US is currently forfeiting in the face of record budget deficits – it’s to the tune of several billion dollars every year.

As an act of protest, I have decided to open a white hat site dedicated to online betting, sports handicapping, casinos, and poker: SlyBets.com. I have never really tried to compete in an uber-competitive area before so my expectations are modest. If I get up to 10k uniques a month, I’ll start a forum.

If you too are outraged by these political shanagans, you can voice your protest by linking to slybets.com with some juicy gambling anchor text.

In spite of having fewer people than originally singed up, we will be proceeding with the SEO No limit Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament on Saturday at Noon EST, 9:00 Pacific US.

I’m looking forward to it. Because I received a couple of emails today asking if it’s still on and if they can still join, I have contacted the Poker site and they are willing to extend the signup deadline to midnight tonight and they agreed!

See you at the tables!

The SEO Poker Tournament must be moved to the 17th of June and we will be choosing a different site to host the Tourney – I will announce where in the next 3 days. I have already contacted everyone who was on the particpants list on Wednesday by e-mail with an apology.

Although Party Poker is financially stable, they have screwed things up beyond belief for my readers, myself and the SEO Poker tournament.

If you are really interested in the insannity I encountered dealing with the Party Poker Affiliate Reps, you can read the e-mail conversation below. It’s pretty amazing but it’s really just drama. If you want the short and sweet version it’s this:

Don’t do business with Party Poker.
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Funding An Online Gambling Account

Many of you intend to play in the SEO Poker Tournament but have not yet registered and funded a Party Poker account. I understand. You’re doing what most people do – you’re waiting until the last minute. Since we need all entrants by the 21st (and it can take 3-4 days to fund an account), it’s getting time to get off your butt and register.

In the US, there are very few credit cards that can be used to fund online gambling accounts like Party Poker.

I use IGM Pay which uses your bank account to fund your Party Poker Account. To use, you must register your bank account with iGM-Pay and verify it – this process usually takes about 3-4 days. If you have ever verified a bank account on PayPal – you’ll understand because it’s the same process. Thereafter transfers into and out of your account are mostly instant and there are no transaction fees.

From a safety / stability perspective, Party Poker is rock solid. Aside from having dealt more than 4.2 Billion hands, they are a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange – PRTY . They had over [corrected] $970 million in revenue last year and a profit margin of 25% – so it’s not some fly by night operation.

Here’s what other people are saying about the SEO No Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament:

“Where else can you get poker with a free lifetime link for a one time fee?” – Aaron Wall

“I talk a lot about SEO for Poker, but I’ve never actually played. This should be fun.” – [unnamed tournament participant]

“Just imagine winning the tourney, it’ll be like hitting the link lottery across all the SEO blogs.” – MrTurner

Remember, you must have a website to play and everyone who enters will be put on the Tournament Participants List.

So, If you still don’t have a Party Poker account, you can sign up for one here. After it’s funded, send me your party poker username and your website URL to play.