NETWATCH . . . ANTE UP

Maybe it was inevitable that somebody would try to circumvent U.S. gambling laws in the Wild West of cyberspace. Beginning May 15, a Bahamas-based company called Internet Casinos Inc. plans to introduce home gambling via the Internet's World Wide Web -- despite American laws barring the placing of wagers across state lines and through the country's communications networks. The company insists there is no problem: "Because we're completely offshore, we eliminate all that nonsense," Warren Eugene, the firm's 33-year-old president, told Bloomberg Business News. But others think things could get dicey once the FBI takes notice: "It's a fascinating question, and I'm sure it's against the law," says TIME technology writer Joshua Quittner. "But how do you prevent it? There's no way to stop people from gambling in their homes."