Jefferson City, Mo. --Attorney General Jay Nixon has asked for a court order to stop a business that operates a casino on the World Wide Web from offering gambling in Missouri.
Nixon filed the lawsuit April 7 against Interactive Gaming &
Communications Corp. (IGC), a publicly-traded business based in Blue Bell, Pa. IGC offers online casino gambling such as roulette, slots and blackjack through its Global Casino subsidiary.
"Internet gambling is the antithesis of the highly regulated and closely supervised limited forms of gambling that are legal in the state of Missouri," Nixon said. "These online casinos have no business representing to consumers that this gambling is legal in Missouri."
Nixon said an undercover investigator from the Attorney General's Office who contacted Global Casino in February was told it was legal for him to participate from Missouri in a slots tournament conducted by the online casino. After opening an account with Global Casino, the investigator was able to place bets in a slots tournament from a computer in Kansas City.
"Our investigation showed that IGC made no attempt to tell Missouri consumers that this gambling activity is illegal here," Nixon said. "The company actively promoted its gambling activities in Missouri by sending news releases touting its website and by maintaining a toll-free number advertised on the website that Missourians could call for more information on how to place bets."
Nixon is asking the Jackson County Circuit Court to halt ICG or its subsidiaries from violating state merchandising practices laws by offering gambling to Missouri consumers or by misrepresenting that such gambling activities are legal in Missouri. The Attorney General also is asking for a court order of restitution and penalties from IGC.
Circuit Judge William F. Mauer has scheduled a hearing on Nixon's request for a preliminary injunction against IGC for April 25.