Betonsports.com, the online bookmaker, has requested its shares be suspended after its chief executive, David Carruthers, was arrested among others on a charge of conspiracy to offer US residents bets on professional and college sports.

The news has sent shares in online casino and betting sites plummeting, with PartyGaming slipping 7.8 per cent and 888 Holdings losing 8 per cent.

Carruthers was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, US, and was indicted on racketeering, conspiracy and fraud charges along with 10 other individuals and four corporations, including Betonsports.

Gary Kaplan, founder of Betonsports, an AIM-listed company based in Costa Rica, was charged with 20 violations of federal laws, including tax evasion.

US attorney Catherine Hanaway, of the Eastern District of Missouri, said: “Commercial gambling across state and international borders is a crime. Misuse of the internet to violate the law can ultimately only serve to harm legitimate businesses.

“This indictment is but one step in a series of actions designed to punish and seize the profits of individuals who disregard federal and state laws.”

Carruthers will face trial in Missouri.

Pertinently, a US bill to outlaw internet gambling will shortly go before the Senate after recently being passed by the House of Representatives.