GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 2 - October 2007

Britain introduced sweeping new laws last month that will overhaul the c ountry’s gaming industry for the 21st century, regulating everything fro m online gambling Web sites to telev ision advertising. The Gambling Act of 2005, which wen t into effect Sept. 1, replaces nearly ever y gaming law on the books, some dati ng back to 1845. The law affects mos t forms of gambling including onli ne casinos, land-based casinos, bing o parlors, bookmakers and pub slot machines. They will be regulated by t he new Gambling Commission, whic h bills itself as one of the most pow erful gambling regulators in the worl d. But it will be on television – not casi nos – where players notice the bigg est change. For the first time, gam bling operators will be permitted to a dvertise over the airwaves. Casi nos began airing TV commercials hour s after the Act came into force, begi nningwithAspersCasinoat theGate in N ewcastle, northeast England. Others imm ediately announced plans to air ads soon , including bookmakers Ladbrokes, Cora l and PartyGaming.com. “We haven’t done our own television ads yet, but very likely we will,” says Ann Aslett, spokeswoman for the Walt hamstow Stadium dog track in Lon don. Ga mbling operators won’t have free rein on the airwaves. The industry is s ubject to strict codes that ban com mercials that target people under 18, f eature players who appear to be und er 25 or encourage irresponsible gam bling. The gaming industry has also volun- taril y agreed not to show ads before 9 p. m. except during sporting events, displ ay the address for gambleaware. co.u k -- a Web site offering advice on problem gambling -- and ban ad- vertising on children’s replica sports team jerseys. And the Gambling Commission has the power to punish operators who break the rules. “At the end of the day, failure to comply with the rules exposes a licensed operator to a range of sanctions including fines, prosecution and where serious or recurring breaches occur, the removal of their operating license,” says a Gambling Commission spokesperson, who declined to be named per British practice. While opening the airwaves to adverts, the U.K. simultaneously banned ads from online gambling sites based outside the European Economic Area (EEA). That prompted several major brands, like William Hill and BetFred to move its operations. William Hill announced in August it was relocating from the Dutch Antilles to Gibraltar and Malta. Betfred moved to Gibraltar and Intertops moved to Malta. “I make no apology for banning adverts for Web sites from places that don’t meet our strict standards,” Culture Secretary James Purnell said in a statement. Jurisdictions outside the EEA can join the British government’s “white list” of places exempted from the ad ban if they can meet the U.K.’s strict gambling regulatory standards. So far, only the Isle of Man and Alderney have passed. The government is still considering applications from the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory and Antigua, home to the largest number of gambling websites with 537. Ad- betfred