Trading in the shares of online gaming group BetOnSports was suspended this morning after it emerged overnight that two others linked to the company are among 11 charged with 22 counts of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud charges.

The department said it will seek extradition of all defendants to St. Louis for prosecution.

BetOnSports' chief executive David Carruthers was arrested and charged on Sunday night while changing planes at Dallas Fort Worth airport in Texas.

The US Department of Justice has now issued a warrent for the arrest of BetOnSports' founder Gary Kaplan, 47, and the firm's former media director Peter Wilson.

Gary Kaplan is charged with 20 felony violations including interstate transportation of gambling paraphernalia and interference with the administration of Internal Revenue laws and tax evasion.

According to the indictment, BetOnSports misleadingly advertised itself as the "World’s Largest Legal and Licensed Sportsbook."

The indictment also alleges that Kaplan failed to pay federal wagering excise taxes on more than $3.3 billion in wagers taken from the United States and seeks of $4.5 billion from Kaplan and his co-defendants, as well as various properties.

Other defendants include Mr Kaplan’s siblings, Neil Scott Kaplan and Lori Kaplan Multz; Norman Steinberg and Tim Brown, Mr Steinberg’s son-in-law,.

The Justice department said Gary Kaplan resides in Costa Rica and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Neil Kaplan, 40, is in custody in Florida. Mr Carruthers, 49, a resident of Costa Rica and Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, is in custody in Fort Worth, Texas.

William Luis Lenis and Manny Gustavo Lenis are in custody in Miami. Tim Brown was arrested near Philadelphia. Warrants have been issued for the other defendants not currently in custody.

Anand Doobay, partner in the extradition team at Peters & Peters, said: "Since David Carruthers is already in custody his chances of being allowed to leave the US are extremely slim. Once people are arrested in the US the prosecutors generally insist they remain there until trial."

The charges are the result of a joint investigation by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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