man charged with running online gambling business

David Howe was charged last week in a Colorado court with misdemeanor charges of professional gambling, fraud, providing gambling information and computer crimes, all related to an internet gambling business he'd started.

Howe is the creator of the company Venture Concepts, which is based in Denver and has an office listed in Phoenix as well, through which he created online gambling businesses in the United States and sold them to people. For as little as $999, a person could buy a complete online gambling Web site from Venture Concepts that included poker, roulette, video slot machines, and betting on sports.

People all over the country invested thousands of dollars to get sites from Venture Concepts, which under federal law and Colorado state law would be illegal for people to run and use in the United States.

Howe, who advertised the Web sites as "work from home" opportunities, told people he was just offering a chance for the "little guy" to get a piece of the $12 billion Internet gambling action. His attorney told news station CBS4 in Denver that he's not convinced that online gambling sites are illegal in Colorado.

But according to the Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, it's illegal for a company to produce Web sites for the purpose of promoting and providing online gambling, especially since online gaming is illegal.

News Added: 18 July, 2006

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