European Commission competition officials are crying foul over plans by someEuropean states to restrict foreign sports betting and gambling servicesfrom operating in their countries. Brussels is considering legal actionagainst protectionist barriers planned by France, Italy, and Austria thateffectively ban foreign online gaming and casino operators. In total, nineEU member states face possible action over the […]
Tag Archives: bet
A bid by a pair of private-equity firms to buy Harrah’s Entertainment, ifapproved, will offer the latest evidence of a flourishing symbioticrelationship between Nevada regulators and the casino industry. A vital roleof regulators is to set the bar for who is allowed to operate casinos inNevada, and to conduct background investigations into their character.Reputation, honesty […]
With the US government cracking down on online gambling, what are the oddsfor the industry in America? It’s an impressive list: the September arrestof Peter Dicks, non-executive chairman of Sportingbet; the July arrest ofDavid Carruthers, chief executive of BetonSports; and legislation passed bythe US House of Representatives in July to prohibit banks and credit cardcompanies […]
The European Commission today threatened legal action against France, Italyand Austria for restricting sports betting and gambling services, includingbanning foreign online gaming and casino operators. Its move, bringing tonine the number of EU countries whose gambling legislation is underinvestigation, was hailed as a shot in the arm by the ?50bn European bettingsector – several of […]
“One thing you need to realize is that this industry has always been undersiege and probably always will be,” said Sue Schneider, CEO of River CityGroup in her welcoming remarks to attendees of the European I-GamingCongress and Exhibition (EiG) Wednesday morning. More than 1,000 delegatesare in attendance at the Clarion Events ATE/River City Group produced […]
Angry demonstrators and rabbis as well as a ban on gambling failed to stopthe inauguration of Israel’s first horse racetrack, as thousands of fanscheered the four-legged competitors. It’s not much at this point – just acollection of collapsable tents with a makeshift grandstand in the middle ofa field in northern Israel – but as the […]
Maryland supporters of legalizing slot machines have had an outspokenchampion in Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., but some key gambling enthusiastsare now putting their money behind his Democratic opponent in the race forgovernor. Campaign records show that donations have started going toBaltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, who has pledged to support a limitedgambling plan that would […]
In a press statement titled “Americans Still Free to Gamble Online” theInteractive Gaming Council, a trade association for Internet gamblingoperators, pointed to important aspects of the new US legislation this week.The IGC statement paints a background to the law whereby “Literally in thedark of night, without debate and far from public scrutiny, Republicanleaders in Congress […]
Prior to analyzing how the new federal law interacts with state gaming law,it is necessary to have a basic understanding about the two constitutions bywhich we are all bound. Every state has a constitution that is a body oflaws that the citizens of that state must follow. There is also a federalConstitution that all citizens […]
If a story appearing today in the Financial Times is accurate, thepresidential signing into law of the Unlawful Internet Gambling EnforcementAct is likely to be a slam-dunk. The respected publication carried a storyquoting unidentified lobbyists who summarised the events leading up to thepresentation of the Goodlatte Bill, including the exploitation of the JackAbramoff lobbying scandal […]
When Congressman Bob Goodlatte introduced his anti-gaming legislation inFebruary, he sent a letter to his Republican colleagues in the House ofRepresentatives with a stark message: This is the bill Jack Abramoff doesnot want you to sign. Mr Goodlatte’s invocation of Mr Abramoff, the oncepowerful Republican lobbyist who was engulfed at the time in a wide-ranginglobbying […]
In the high-stakes poker game of politics, online gambling lobbyists lost amonster hand late last month after Congress passed legislation prohibitingfinancial institutions from making payments to online gambling sites. Thelong-standing issue came to a head after presidential hopeful SenateMajority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., became the torchbearer for conservativegroups lobbying to ban Internet gambling. Despite repeated […]
Three more online gaming companies said today they are suspending operationsin the US after the Senate passed legislation outlawing gambling on theinternet.Fairground Gaming said it would stop taking bets from customers in the US assoon as President Bush signs the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Actinto law. He is expected to do so this week. Fairground, […]
France, Italy and Austria will this week be formally censured by theEuropean Commission for restrictive laws on gambling, the latest move in thefierce global battle between governments and private sports betting andgambling companies. The intervention will come as a rare glimmer of hope foran industry seriously damaged by a series of regulatory blows, and from […]