instead of "bump" here is the story:
Justice department warns Montanans against starting online casinos
Associated Press
HELENA - The state Justice Department is warning Montanans not to become Internet gambling entrepreneurs because doing so is illegal.
Justice officials have for years said that gambling online is illegal in Montana, but now they've learned a company is offering Montanans the chance to set up gambling Web sites as well.
An advertisement published in The Billings Gazette on Friday encouraged people to operate their own online casino, Gene Huntington, state Gambling Control Division administrator, said Tuesday.
"Quite commonly we get reports of people gambling on the Internet," Huntington said. "This is the first time we've seen someone trying to set up Montana as a place to start your own Web site" for gambling.
The ad says the company, Sirbet.com, will help interested parties set up a site for online sports betting and games of chance for less than $499, after which the operators can make $5,000 to $10,000 a week as their share of the profits.
So far, the department hasn't had heard of anyone trying to take the company up on its offer, but Huntington said the department is "trying to catch it in time."
Huntington said all gambling is illegal under Montana's Constitution unless specifically authorized by the Legislature, and lawmakers have not approved online gambling.
Also, a law bars Montanans from gambling on credit, and most Internet sites require credit cards to place wagers, Huntington said.
Repeated calls by The Associated Press to Sirbet.com were not returned Tuesday. The Web site says Sirbet.com is licensed and operates from the island of Curacao in Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean.
A disclaimer on the Web site encourages interested people to check the laws in their area before participating.
The state Justice Department tries to make sure gambling sites identify Montana as a state that prohibits gambling online, Huntington said. A department review of the sites that his staff could find showed that in most cases, Montana is on the lists of prohibited places, he said.
There's really not much else the state can do, said John Tooke, a member of the state Gambling Advisory Council and owner of the Golden Spur Casino in Miles City.
"It's going to be difficult to stop people unless you start kicking down doors and that's not a viable public policy," Tooke said.
It's a conundrum that affects those business owners who do obey Montana's gaming laws, he said. Instead of being customers in casinos, gamblers are at home on their computers, he said.
"I want live, breathing customers in my joint," Tooke said. "We want people in the seats … and we spend an awful lot of time developing that customer base. It's really frustrating because there is not a lot you can do to compete."
