Swift justice in Dubai

Justice is administered quickly in Dubai, it appears; four men recently arrested for operating an online gambling facility in the Jumeira Beach area have already been sentenced in the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The four defendants – two Emiratis, an Uzbek and a Bangladeshi – were charged with running an internet gambling den and were each sentenced to one year in prison, while 12 other defendants of different nationalities were charged with gambling and sentenced to three months.

All the defendants will be deported after serving their jail term, except the Emiratis.

The arrests were made in a police sting operation and raid after a tip-off from the public. The court was told that police officers in plain clothes had paid to gamble on computers on the premises, and had been paid winnings in cash.

Once a crime had been established, police moved in, making the arrests and seizing 30 computers, cash and other evidence.

Prosecutors said the operator linked to online gambling sites such as Lotos Poker and Lotos Casino, which featured instructions on how to play. Both Lotos websites are operated under a Gibraltar licence by Cassava Enterprises, a subsidiary of the 888 Holdings group.

In related news, Southern California’s clamp down on internet cafe sweepstakes-style gambling continued this (July) month with three raids on premises in Carson City.

Carson sheriff’s deputies served search warrants at Internet Shack, Carson Biz Place and Tel Connect & Sweepstakes in a swoop following a public complaint.

One person was arrested and more than 100 items of evidential value, including computers and bookkeeping tools, were seized from the businesses during the operation. Sheriff’s investigators intend to seek prosecution against all three shops for having illegal slots, a spokesman said.

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