Pair grounded in Internet sports book case

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A federal judge in St. Louis sentenced two siblings of the founder of an online sports betting service to 10 months of house arrest.

Neil Kaplan and Beth Kaplan-Multz pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy charges and agreed to turn over $6 million stashed in Switzerland for their role in the now-defunct BetOnSports Internet bookmaking operation.

BetOnSports was founded by brother Gary Kaplan, who pleaded guilty to racketeering charges Monday. The operation handled $1 billion in annual wagers until it folded after a 2006 federal indictment.

Kaplan's brother and sister worked for BetOnSports for a period, placing ads for the service.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday the judge agreed to house arrest because the defendants had helped persuade Gary Kaplan to plead guilty.