Online Casinos Software

Venture Concepts President Arrested for Fraud

Back in April this year InfoPowa reported on the search for David Howe, an alleged Internet fraudster, who was exposed by a Denver television channel after selling rudimentary online casinos to scores of people before disappearing.

Howe was tracked down by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Arizona Department of Gaming after complaints that his company sold basic online casinos to scores of people for as little as $999. Buyers were typically attracted by the prospect of working from home and the opportunity, backed by hype on the industry, to generate tempting revenues that never materialized.

Howe has now been apprehended and charged with selling Internet gambling sites to clients who were to operate them from their homes in the United States. He appeared in Colorado court this week to face charges of professional gambling, fraud, computer crimes and providing gambling information.

Venture Concepts of Denver, believed to be operated by Howe, offered complete online betting Web sites featuring poker, roulette, video slot machines and sportsbetting, and buyers were told they could make $25,000 in 3 months. Most of those who took the bait discovered that there was little, if any, business.

That was the cue for the Venture Concepts to ask for additional thousands of dollars to advertise the Web sites, and further thousands to secure a better listing on the Internet search engines. Television channel CBS4 found that Venture Concepts kept an office in Phoenix but it was empty, although a nearby dumpster contained documents for dozens of Web sites... and unanswered complaints asking for refunds.