U.S. Questions Investment Banks on Contacts With 'Net Gambling Firms

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 22, 2007 - 9:05am.

London - Following a string of arrests of online gambling company executives in the country, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued requests for information from several investment banks about their dealings with a number of gaming sites, Reuters reported, citing "banking sources."

The requests were made through the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and demand all e-mails, phone records and other documentation of contacts between the banks and gambling sites including 888 holdings and Partygaming.

Several U.K. newspapers previously reported that 16 banks, including HSBC, Dresdner Kleinwort, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, had been issued subpoenas, adding that requests had also been sent to various accountants and law firms.

Since the U.S. crackdown on foreign-based online gambling firms that take bets from U.S. citizens began several months ago, a number of such companies have shuttered their U.S.-facing gambling operations.