Sportingbet Plc. chairman free on bail

Peter Dicks, Sportingbet, Plc. non-executive chairman, was granted a $50,000 bail amount today for his release from jail until a court hearing scheduled for Sept. 14 to determine if he will be extradited to Louisiana. Before his release, he had to surrender his passport and was ordered to remain in the area.

Dicks was arrested late Wednesday after flying into New York from London when customs officials noticed a warrant issued in Louisiana charging him with illegal gambling by computer. The warrant had been issued in May in connection with the state's investigation into illegal computer gambling.

Other arrest warrants have been issued in the case but remain sealed.

Dicks was visiting New York for a board meeting of a publicly traded U.S. company unrelated to his work with Sportingbet, Plc., which owns Paradise Poker. Dicks is a board member of Standard Microsystems Corp. of Hauppauge, N.Y., as well as the chairman of Private Equity Investor and director of various U.K. and U.S. companies.

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