In a case that first surfaced in April of this year regarding a Colorado business suspected of cheating people out of thousands of dollars, the head of Venture Concepts, David Howe, stood in a Colorado courtroom on Tuesday to hear the charges brought against him.  Howe is being charged with fraud, providing gambling information, professional gambling and computer crimes, which are all deemed misdemeanors in the State of Colorado.

The exact nature of Howe's crimes pertain to ownership and operation of online casino scam sites, which Venture Concepts were selling to people via an advertisement that vaguely expressed opportunities to make money from working at home.  After putting up approximately $1,000 to purchase a full operating online casino, poker room and internet sportsbook from Venture Concepts (who said that over $25,000 could be made in just three months operating the online casino from home), buyers would then later learn that in order to receive any traffic and business from the site, they would need to pay an additional $9,000 to Venture Concepts for marketing and distribution services.

One woman who got wind of the online casino scam after paying the initial grand to Mr. Howe contacted a Denver-based television news program, who in turn, featured an investigative report on the charges.  Once the story came into light, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Arizona Department of Gaming picked up an investigation of their own on David Howe and Venture Concepts, eventually bringing the charges on him which he now faces.

Regarding Howe's reaction and plea to the charges, that information has not been released, nor has it been discussed by Howe's attorney.  Venture Concepts has since been shut down, and all online gambling sites developed by the company have been taken offline and put out of commission.  In light of cases like these (as well as the legality of the situation), consumers should always be weary of any offering to own and operate an online casino or internet betting site.