Profound implications for the future of online gambling

10:40 Gambling 0 Comments

Profound implications for the future of online gambling. Haines, who lives in Marin County, north of San Francisco, is suing to get her money back, taking on not the casinos, but Visa International, MasterCard International, and one of the banks that issued her a credit card.
In her suit, Haines says the casinos duped her into thinking the online gambling was legal and then unfairly stacked the odds of winning against her. She further contends that Visa and MasterCard were indirect participants by permitting their cards to be used by the casinos and then profiting from the transactions.
Her suit seeks to go a step further. She is asking the court to prevent Visa and MasterCard from permitting their cards to be used by Internet casinos that provide service to any person located in the State of California.
"When people see their logo on a site, they think the casino is legitimate," said Ira Rothken, Haines's lawyer. "Visa and MasterCard are involved in aiding and abetting these online gaming operators."
Rothken described his client as "an absolute victim," who was "caught up in the hypnotic effect of online gambling."
Several online casinos, along with industry observers, counter that Haines was not victim, but a willing and eager participant who now is trying to get out of paying for her losses.