Earl Hurricane Takes Down Online Gambling Hub

The Earl hurricane caused major power outages on the island of Antigua, where many well-known off-shore gambling firms reside.

"Islands hit particularly hard were Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla and St. Martin, where there are reports of roofs torn off, trees downed and numerous power outages," CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe said.

Intertops.com and its Red Casino arm has been shut down entirely due to the heavy, at times 110MPH winds.The firm informed its users on the site:

"Please be advised that as a direct result of Hurricane Earl, we have suffered a major power outage in Antigua and the Intertops.com website and all its services are currently down. 

We are diligently working round the clock to restore our services to you our valued customer and will send notification via e-mail as soon as we are back online. 

Thank you for your understanding and patience in this situation!"

World Sports Exchange (WSEX.com), also an Antiguan-based gambling site also advised its customers about possible power outages due to the approaching hurricane.

The hurricane, now a powerful Category 4 storm is swirling toward the US East Coast which Early migh brush late Thursday or Friday, before curving back out to sea, potentially swiping New England or far-eastern Canada, they said. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned coastal residents from North Carolina to Maine to watch the storm closely.