Judge grants freedom to former gambling boss
The refusal of New York Governor George Pataki to sign an extradition warrant has made former SportingBet chairman Peter Dicks a free man.
A Pataki spokesman said that extradition can only take place if the accused person is present in the place where the law is broken. Although Pataki does support the fight being waged against online gambling, he doesn’t have the authority to legally extradite Dicks, the spokesman added. With 58 other warrants issued against internet gambling executives by the state of Louisiana, the decision rendered in a Queens courtroom on Friday is sure to come as a relief.
While Dicks was declared a free man by Judge Gene Lopez, the Louisiana warrants are still in effect for the other states according to Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Affronti. In telling reporters he is very grateful for his freedom, Dicks said he has no plans for a return to SportingBet following his resignation from the company to focus on his legal defense. His lawyer Barry Slotnik plans to get in touch with Louisiana authorities about the charges in an attempt to “put this matter to rest.� In the meantime Dicks said he plans on returning to the UK shortly.
As SportingBets chairman, Dicks was second high profile British gaming executive to be detained following the July arrest of former BetonSports CEO David Carruthers. Fired shortly after landing in the US, Carruthers remains under house arrest in St Louis, Missouri.
-Danny Davis