Complaint Against AWI Could Be Resolved by Late July

It's business as usual at the moment for American Wagering, Inc., a Nevada-licensed sportsbook operator that has found itself under a tremendous amount of pressure of late. Aside from facing the prospect of U.S. Congress legislating sports wagering companies into the ground , the company still awaits a hearing in which the Nevada Gaming Commission would rule on a complaint filed against the company by the Gaming Control Board in December 1999.

The complaint involves the accepting of wagers, placed by investigators located in Nevada, over the Internet by AWI's Australian-licensed online sportsbook, MegaSports. AWI was given until the first week of January to reply to the original complaint. That cut-off date has been pushed back numerous times, with June 9 being the latest dateline to come and go. The Commission told IGN this week that AWI has this time been given until June 26.

Steve DuCharme, chairman of the Gaming Board, is confident that the situation will be resolved by July 27, the date of a public meeting to be held by the Commission. DuCharme says that attorneys for both the Board and AWI are negotiating an agreement and he believes they're getting close, although he couldn't disclose any of the terms. "We're working to have a stipulated settlement on the complaint completed within the next 30 days," DuCharme told IGN. "We're optimistic we'll have a settlement by July."

If no agreement is reached by July 20, DuCharme pointed out, the Commission will have to decide whether to hear the case on the 27th or tack on another deadline. DuCharme believes the first of the Commission's options is the likelier outcome.

American Wagering President Vic Salerno declined to comment on the ongoing situation.