The gambling markets will be liberalised on
1st September and part of that process will be controls over
gambling websites based outside of Europe and Gibraltar. Culture
Secretary Tessa Jowell told the Financial Times that a ban on
poorly regulated websites could protect UK gamblers against bogus
or rogue site operators.
Any bookmakers based outside the European
Economic Area and Gibraltar who wish to advertise in the UK will
have to prove that the country in which they operate has a
licensing regime which ensures fairness of gaming, has anti-crime
measures and protects children from exposure to gambling.
The announcement was made as the Government
outlined the locations for the main element of liberalisation, a
raft of new casinos, including one super casino. The super casino
will be built in Manchester, beating favourites London and
Blackpool to the right to host the massive enterprise.
Online gambling has suffered significant
international setbacks in the last 12 months. The US sneaked an
anti-online gambling measure in a port security bill in the dying
days of the Republican-controlled Congress before control moved to
the Democrats.
A number of UK businessmen who ran online
gambling operations have been held in the US and though one was
released another awaits trial.
Even in Europe there has been opposition to
online gambling. In France the two joint chief executives of Bwin
Interactive, an Austrian online gambling operator, were arrested
for operating an operation that police said broke French law.
They were released and protested that the
French Government's monopoly on lotteries break's European
competition laws. A similar argument has been made in Germany over
its state lotteries.
The heads of individual German states met late
last year to discuss a ban on online gambling but put off the
decision. Three German states, Bavaria, Saxony and Hesse, have
instituted their own ban. Most of the states run monopoly lotteries
and critics say they are keen to protect their position.
