The recently-arrested chairman of Sportingbet has been granted $50,000 bail by a U.S. court and released while fighting his extradition to Louisiana on illegal internet gambling charges.

Peter Dicks had been held in New York since Thursday under a Louisiana state warrant accusing the 64-year-old of “gambling by computer.� As part of his release, the Queens’ court – while admitting Dicks’ is not a flight risk – nonetheless ordered him to surrender his passport. He is also to remain the New York-area. Dicks ended up spending two nights in jail after being arrested just before midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

The London-based Sportingbet is the second foreign company to be caught in the recent U.S. government crackdown on illegal online gambling. While legal in many parts of the world, U.S. officials maintain that online betting sites set-up off-shore while accepting bets from U.S. citizens is illegal, and further, may launder money and engage in the drug trade. It is also their contention that the companies lack the necessary safeguards for visitors, as well as an ability to screen-out minors or gambling addicts. In July, BetonSports then-CEO David Carruthers was arrested en route to a company outpost in Costa Rica and was later indicted on federal racketeering charges.

Dicks was apprehended after de-boarding from a London British Airways flight. The Louisiana arrest warrant was discovered during a routine check by U.S. Customs officials. He was then taken into custody by police. Other additional arrest warrants have been issued in the case but – as of now – remain sealed, according to Louisiana state police.

- Rex Harris