Cyber gambler takes credit card company to court

A woman who blew $70,000 at 50 cyber-casinos is now trying to sue her credit card company for allowing the transactions to be processed. Unlucky Cynthia Haines, who lives in California where gambling is illegal, was sued by her bank for unpaid bills after her disastrous run of bad luck. But she is now gambling with her future by issuing a countersuit against her credit card company in an attempt to get the courts to rule that it was at fault for allowing the multiple bets to be sanctioned in the first place. Her case hinges on the fact that the credit card company is "aiding and abetting a crime…for customers who live where the activity is outlawed," according to the report by CNET. Since credit card companies know that they are being used for illegal online gambling - and are making money from the transactions - they only have themselves to blame when someone is taken to the cleaners, pleads Haines. Rumours that Haines is running a sweepstake on the verdict have yet to be confirmed. ®