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Paying to Avoid Prosecution

The United States is in a tough situation financially; the economic recession has hit hard and the Obama administration is lacking a lot of the funding they need for the programs they’re pushing. One potential solution? Target the payment processing companies working with offshore online casinos! Now, in all honesty, it is certainly not this cut and dry, but it does seem as though the US Department of Justice is really concerned with bleeding money out of the US online casino payment processing companies with seizure warrants and the threat of prosecution. Optimal Group Inc, a payment processing company out of Canada has agreed to forfeit more than $19 million to the US government for the company’s involvement in the US internet gambling industry.

Optimal Group operated the FirePay payment processing company from 2004 through 2006. What’s really shocking is that the company is paying the fine even though it’s really arguable whether or not online casinos were legal before the UIGEA. To fine companies for actions prior to the already highly controversial UIGEA is likely going to re-involve the World Trade Organization in this case. The WTO has had very little luck in successfully forcing the US to adopt fair international trade policies in regards to the online casino gambling industry and it doesn’t look if there are any plans for this in the near future.

Optimal Group likely agreed to pay the fine because it is a relatively low amount compared with the costs of lawyers and litigation to fight the charges in court if the DoJ were to formally prosecute the online casino payment processing company. As a part of the deal, Optimal Group admitted guilt, will pay the fine, and then will be clear from any future action from the DoJ related to those previous processing activities.