Sportsbook.com is a privately held online gaming

Online gambling

Online gambling, also known as Internet gambling and iGambling, is a general term for gambling using the Internet.-Online poker:Online poker tables commonly offer Texas hold 'em, Omaha, Seven-card stud, razz, HORSE and other game types in both tournament and ring game structures...

 firm, featuring sports betting

Sports betting

Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.-United States of America:Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will win its division or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is...

, online poker

Online poker

Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...

, casino games

Online casino

Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet....

 and horse race betting that caters to the U.S. market.

Prior to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 is United States legislation regulating online gambling. It was added as Title VIII to the SAFE Port Act which otherwise regulated port security...

, Sportsbook.com was owned by Sportingbet

Sportingbet

Sportingbet plc is a British e-gaming operator. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index.-History:The Company was founded by Mark Blandford in 1997. Sportingbet acquired Paradise Poker in October 2004...

, whose sports betting network, also including AllStar.com, Hollywood Sportsbook and Sports.com, was collectively named the "Best U.S. Sportsbook" in 2005 and 2006 by industry magazine eGaming Review

Egaming Review

eGaming Review Magazine and EGRmagazine.com are related online gambling publishing brands covering online gambling industry news and regulation topics....

. After passage of the Safe Port Act, Sportingbet sold all its U.S.-facing sportsbook

Sportsbook

In the United States a sportsbook or a race and sports book is a place where a gambler can wager on various sports competitions, including golf, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, horse racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts. The method of betting varies with the sport and the type of...

s to a privately owned company, Jazette Enterprises Limited, for the sum of $1.

Sportsbook.com's advertising included an "Everybody Bets" campaign featuring Brooke Burke

Brooke Burke

Brooke Burke Charvet , better known by her maiden name, Brooke Burke, is an actress, dancer, model and television personality...

 and Nikki Cox

Nikki Cox

Nicole Avery "Nikki" Cox is an American actress known mostly for her roles on the television series Unhappily Ever After, Las Vegas, and Nikki.-Early life:...

 in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Legal difficulties

On October 16, 2001, the New Jersey Attorney General

New Jersey Attorney General

The Attorney General of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state. The office is appointed by the Governor of New Jersey and term limited...

initiated civil actions against several online gambling web sites, including Sportsbook.com. The Director of Gaming Enforcement was quoted as saying "The citizens of New Jersey need to be aware that these sports betting operations are not regulated and they are illegal. Regardless of their occasional claims of 'licensing' and 'legality,' they answer to no one and are therefore not held to the same scrutiny as our Atlantic City casinos." The case never went to court.