Gary Kaplan, the founder of troubled betting site BetOnSports, has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering and wire fraud at the US District Court in St Louis, Missouri.
The charges claim that Kaplan neglected to pay federal wagering excise taxes on over $3.3 billion in bets generated from the United States, with the court seeking a penalty of $4.5 billion from Kaplan and his co-defendants, as well as a number of properties.
Clive Parritt, the current chairman of BetOnSports, said earlier in the month that the company was nearing an agreement with the Department of Justice which would settle the case against the company.
The court also decreed that Kaplan would be kept in custody until May 25, at which time a detention hearing will determine whether he is eligible for release on bail.
In other news, former chief executive David Carruthers has reportedly sent a letter asking for individuals at the company’s former advisers to lobby the UK government, the EU and UK and European Members of Parliament on his behalf. This is believed to be part of his attempts to use the recent WTO decision against the US as part of his defence.
