Around the Net

Are Celebrities Breaking The Law By Endorsing Online Gambling?

  • NY Times, Wednesday, November 16, 2005 10:45 AM
Internet gambling companies, which are illegal in the United States, are starting to use celebrity endorsers. Some, including Jesse Ventura, a wrestling personality and former governor of Minnesota, say they're doing it to put pressure on the U.S. government to legalize online gambling on U.S. shores. The problem for online gambling companies is that they bring unlicensed gambling to the United States. American owners of such companies are basically exiled from the country for doing so. In recent months, several celebrities, including model Brooke Burke, actor Tom Arnold, and former NFL quarterback Jim Kelly, have signed deals to promote online gambling sites. Legal experts say these celebrities are breaking the law by assisting in the operation of foreign companies that are conducting illegal business domestically. Last year, Clear Channel, Google, Yahoo! and other major U.S. corporations agreed to stop selling ads to online gambling sites after an investigation by a federal prosecutor.

Read the whole story at NY Times »

Next story loading loading..