Gaming Guru

Dicks hearing postponed until Friday

The extradition hearing of former Sportingbet chairman Peter Dicks has been postponed until Friday. New York officials, including Governor George Pataki and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, need more time to make a decision, according to a Financial Times report.

Dicks was arrested Sept. 6 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at the request of Louisiana authorities. The state is charging Dicks with illegal gambling by computer.

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco signed the extradition order Wednesday after consulting with local law enforcement officials and the district attorney.

"We must enforce Louisiana laws, which clearly prohibit online gambling. If we don't enforce this law, online gambling would be completely unregulated -- and that is clearly an expansion of gambling and that is unacceptable to the governor," said Blanco's deputy press secretary, Marie Centanni.

On Sept. 14 New York Governor George Pataki's office refused to honor a request to have Dicks extradited to the state of Louisiana. Dicks was allowed to return home to England but ordered to return for a second extradition hearing today.

Dicks has since resigned from Sportingbet, a British public company.

"He advised about financial matters," said Dicks lawyer Barry Slotnick. "I don't know if he can tell the difference between a slot machine and a horse race. He's got nothing to do with gambling or gaming. The company that he's on the board of is a holding company."