U.S. Convicts Cohen in First Federal Offshore Internet Gambling Prosecution (VIIIA)

On February 28, 2000, the U.S. Government won its first prosecution of an illegal Internet betting activity outside the U.S. when a federal jury convicted Jay Cohen, 33, a co-owner of World Sports Exchange based in Antigua, for operating an offshore online sports gambling operation that illegally accepted bets and wagers on sporting events from Americans over the Internet and telephone. Cohen was the first of 22 defendants to be tried in the U.S. Government’s initial prosecutions brought under the federal Wire Wager Act. The law criminalizes the use of telephone lines in interstate or foreign commerce to place sports bets and prohibits the transmission of information that helps gamblers bet on sporting events and contests…[more]