Restricting Internet Gambling

Government Source Suggests Major Restrictions for Offshore Online Gambling Operators

Online gambling in the UK has pretty much been a free for all up until now. However reports in the media suggest that online gambling operators that target British players and avoid paying taxes may be coming to an end. According to a ‘senior government source’ the coalition government intends to crackdown with the first step being a ban on advertising in the UK for those operators based offshore and stopping the use of credit cards used for online gambling.

...the report suggests that the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has concerns with the level of problem gambling in the UK and is considering restrictions such as banning the use of credit cards used to prevent people gambling money they do not have. Bingo clubs based in the UK have never been allowed to accept credit cards as a form of payment.

There is the possibility that not only would the TV campaigns go but also advertising in the newspapers, magazines and online advertising. Many sites advertise on popular websites such as Facebook, Amazon, Google and Ebay. The legislation would more than likely to ban this for UK customers (it is actually a lot easier to enforce than people think) as many of these sites have targeted adverting campaigns to specific markets. The reality is that online bingo portals in the UK that advertise to non UK based operators would be a thing of the past and email campaigns to members residing in the UK could also be stopped. For those that are sceptical of how this would be policed just consider how quickly the US government put a stop to such practices with threats of criminal charges.

While problem gambling is a significantly bigger problem in online gaming, the reasons that the government are looking at reviewing the legislation is more likely to do with tax revenues than the well being of UK residents.