There were 110 players at the site on an industrial estate when the police raided last Friday
Málaga National Police last week raided a hidden casino in the city and found 110 players to be active, each one of them having paid 35 € for access. Most of the players were aged between 25 and 40 and many had travelled from across the province.
Police say news of the venue was generally spread by word of mouth, but also on social networking sites on the Internet.
Their raid took place on Friday night February 19, but news of it was released on Wednesday. It came after three months of investigations.
Illegal gambling is a crime under the Spanish Penal Code and the two organisers on this occasion face a fine of between 30,000 and 300,000 €.
February 26, 2010
February 24, 2010
Falling attendances in US casinos due to online gambling
A recent report by market research firm Mintel has revealed that less than a third of adults visited a casino in the United States last year, down from 35% in 2001, with 12% of adults having visited an illegal online gambling site during the same period.
Mintel reported that only 30% of adults had visited a casino in the past year, despite the continued glamorisation of Las Vegas and gambling. Of those who did visit a casino in the last 12 months, 27% were Indian reservation casinos, followed by 24% in Las Vegas and 12% in Atlantic City.
“This shift has been gradual, which suggests that this is not a result of the recession,” said Billy Hulkower, Mintel senior analyst. “Casinos may be losing audience to the increasingly compelling entertainment offerings in the home; such as HDTV, high-end video game systems and the Internet, including Internet gambling.”
Adults aged 25-34 years old were most likely to visit a casino in the past year (56% of respondents). On average, adults who visited a casino won or lost more than $330, with men ($501) appearing to bet larger amounts than women ($140).
“Men take more risks in their gambling behaviour and will remain the key customer base for casino operators,” Hulkower added.
Three in four adults (76%) set a budget for their casino visits, and most have reasonable expectations about the outcome. More than half (55%) expect to lose when they gamble, but are just doing it for fun. In addition the report says that 20% of gamblers claim that they usually win more often than lose.
Despite the illegality of online gambling in the U.S, 12% of adults have visited an online casino or gambling site in the past 12 months. Mintel’s research shows men are significantly more likely to play poker or other gambling games online, visiting online gambling sites five times in the past year, compared to once for women.
Mintel reported that only 30% of adults had visited a casino in the past year, despite the continued glamorisation of Las Vegas and gambling. Of those who did visit a casino in the last 12 months, 27% were Indian reservation casinos, followed by 24% in Las Vegas and 12% in Atlantic City.
“This shift has been gradual, which suggests that this is not a result of the recession,” said Billy Hulkower, Mintel senior analyst. “Casinos may be losing audience to the increasingly compelling entertainment offerings in the home; such as HDTV, high-end video game systems and the Internet, including Internet gambling.”
Adults aged 25-34 years old were most likely to visit a casino in the past year (56% of respondents). On average, adults who visited a casino won or lost more than $330, with men ($501) appearing to bet larger amounts than women ($140).
“Men take more risks in their gambling behaviour and will remain the key customer base for casino operators,” Hulkower added.
Three in four adults (76%) set a budget for their casino visits, and most have reasonable expectations about the outcome. More than half (55%) expect to lose when they gamble, but are just doing it for fun. In addition the report says that 20% of gamblers claim that they usually win more often than lose.
Despite the illegality of online gambling in the U.S, 12% of adults have visited an online casino or gambling site in the past 12 months. Mintel’s research shows men are significantly more likely to play poker or other gambling games online, visiting online gambling sites five times in the past year, compared to once for women.
Virgin Games to re-focus as 'total gaming' site with 200-title PC download deal
Virgin Games is to expand into the non-gambling PC games market in a radical move to recreate the brand as a “total gaming” destination that will also allow the company to market the brand in jurisdictions where online gambling is prohibited.
A deal with technology company Game Domain International (GDI) will give Virgin Games access to more than 200 game titles from 70 game developers available for download, with titles including Rome: Total War, Fifa Football Manager, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and Tomb Raider: Legend.
Virgin Games chief executive Simon Burridge: “We want Virgin Games to be somewhere you go to play games of any description, be that casino, poker, bingo or Rome: Total War. If Virgin Games is going to be about anything, it has to be about entertainment and being a place you can go to have fun.”
The system, called A World of My Own (AWOMO), aims to deliver online game content much faster than rival download services by allowing users to play the games before they are fully downloaded; and will offer pay-per-download or regular subscription payment options.
“This will open up a huge long tail of people who are gamers but are not prepared to invest heavily in gaming, and will open up PC games to a rental market that has never been done before. If this takes off it could do for the gaming industry what iTunes did for buying music: no-one buys music from shops anymore, they go online to iTunes.”
Burridge added that the new games will allow Virgin Games to market non-gambling versions of its sites in markets where its gambling products are prohibited under online gambling rules.
“This will open up parts of the world where we have previously been excluded, including English-speaking markets such as South Africa or the United States where the Virgin brand is strong,” he said. That will also allow the brand greater strength in those markets should they regulate online gambling, he said, “but that is a benefit rather than a main strategic goal”.
AWOMO is currently in beta testing, and the two companies expect to launch the full product in the third quarter of this year. However the launch is dependent on the success of a funding round that GDI is presently engaged in, which Burridge predicted will take place this quarter.
Burridge added that that because Virgin Games, which recently concluded a two and half year platform-building process has development skills in-house, the only cost of the new venture will be in marketing it. “Building the platform has raised our overhead costs but increased our revenue share, so now we have to add on customers,” he said.
A deal with technology company Game Domain International (GDI) will give Virgin Games access to more than 200 game titles from 70 game developers available for download, with titles including Rome: Total War, Fifa Football Manager, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and Tomb Raider: Legend.
The system, called A World of My Own (AWOMO), aims to deliver online game content much faster than rival download services by allowing users to play the games before they are fully downloaded; and will offer pay-per-download or regular subscription payment options.
“This will open up a huge long tail of people who are gamers but are not prepared to invest heavily in gaming, and will open up PC games to a rental market that has never been done before. If this takes off it could do for the gaming industry what iTunes did for buying music: no-one buys music from shops anymore, they go online to iTunes.”
Burridge added that the new games will allow Virgin Games to market non-gambling versions of its sites in markets where its gambling products are prohibited under online gambling rules.
“This will open up parts of the world where we have previously been excluded, including English-speaking markets such as South Africa or the United States where the Virgin brand is strong,” he said. That will also allow the brand greater strength in those markets should they regulate online gambling, he said, “but that is a benefit rather than a main strategic goal”.
AWOMO is currently in beta testing, and the two companies expect to launch the full product in the third quarter of this year. However the launch is dependent on the success of a funding round that GDI is presently engaged in, which Burridge predicted will take place this quarter.
Burridge added that that because Virgin Games, which recently concluded a two and half year platform-building process has development skills in-house, the only cost of the new venture will be in marketing it. “Building the platform has raised our overhead costs but increased our revenue share, so now we have to add on customers,” he said.
February 23, 2010
Visa still usable for online gambling in the US
Playing at online casinos in the US is not illegal, though the government would like you to think that that’s the case. Despite the fact that online gambling is legal, the national government still goes to great lengths to try and keep people from enjoying it.
The fact is, there are no American gambling laws that explicitly state that gambling is illegal. The Interstate Wire Act of 1961 is the law that the government refers to when attempting to discourage gamblers, but according to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of appeals the Wire Act only refers to sports betting on an Interstate basis.
The government’s only real attempt to control online gambling in the U.S. was introduced as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). This act has up to this point failed to go into force but it has still managed to spook a few companies.
According to the UIGEA, banks can be penalized for helping players make deposits and withdrawals to accounts associated with online gambling. MasterCard has recently made an attempt to pull away from the online gambling sector as a result. Read more about MasterCard’s new moves here.
When MasterCard made a move to turn its back on the online gambling industry, many gamblers and affiliate companies assumed that Visa was going to do the same, or even had to some extent. This is not true, and far from the case.
In the world of online gambling, it’s not uncommon for a transaction to take a while. Timing and whether or not a transaction is successful often depends on payment processors. Hundreds of articles can now be found on the internet saying that Visa has gone the way of MasterCard and has stopped processing gambling payments.
On Visa’s website it’s explicitly stated that the company has no problem with internet gambling, but where a player resides may influence their transaction. Text on the site reads as follows: “Internet gambling may be illegal where you live,” implying that a transaction may not be processed. Luckily for U.S. residents, Internet Gambling in the United States isn’t illegal.
Not only can players make deposits with Visa, the company boasts that payments can be made to Visa cards and gives gambling winnings as an example. On top of that, when referring to their Mobil Commerce program they state that “Ticket services, mobile gambling, vending machine payments, road charges and service subscriptions are just a few of the applications.”
Readers should not believe the hundreds of articles that can be currently found saying that Visa too, has turned its back on the gambling industry. Most of the articles concerning this subject are based on predictions and flawed judgement. If a player feels uncertain about making a payment through Visa, there’s a plethora of other banking methods available on the internet and ready to take it’s place.
[source]
The fact is, there are no American gambling laws that explicitly state that gambling is illegal. The Interstate Wire Act of 1961 is the law that the government refers to when attempting to discourage gamblers, but according to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of appeals the Wire Act only refers to sports betting on an Interstate basis.
The government’s only real attempt to control online gambling in the U.S. was introduced as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). This act has up to this point failed to go into force but it has still managed to spook a few companies.
According to the UIGEA, banks can be penalized for helping players make deposits and withdrawals to accounts associated with online gambling. MasterCard has recently made an attempt to pull away from the online gambling sector as a result. Read more about MasterCard’s new moves here.
When MasterCard made a move to turn its back on the online gambling industry, many gamblers and affiliate companies assumed that Visa was going to do the same, or even had to some extent. This is not true, and far from the case.
In the world of online gambling, it’s not uncommon for a transaction to take a while. Timing and whether or not a transaction is successful often depends on payment processors. Hundreds of articles can now be found on the internet saying that Visa has gone the way of MasterCard and has stopped processing gambling payments.
On Visa’s website it’s explicitly stated that the company has no problem with internet gambling, but where a player resides may influence their transaction. Text on the site reads as follows: “Internet gambling may be illegal where you live,” implying that a transaction may not be processed. Luckily for U.S. residents, Internet Gambling in the United States isn’t illegal.
Not only can players make deposits with Visa, the company boasts that payments can be made to Visa cards and gives gambling winnings as an example. On top of that, when referring to their Mobil Commerce program they state that “Ticket services, mobile gambling, vending machine payments, road charges and service subscriptions are just a few of the applications.”
Readers should not believe the hundreds of articles that can be currently found saying that Visa too, has turned its back on the gambling industry. Most of the articles concerning this subject are based on predictions and flawed judgement. If a player feels uncertain about making a payment through Visa, there’s a plethora of other banking methods available on the internet and ready to take it’s place.
[source]
February 22, 2010
ITV.com adds gambling site with William Hill
British commercial television broadcaster ITV has announced a new broadcast and online partnership for 2010 with UK bookmaker William Hill, under which viewers of sport on ITV and online at ITV.com will be able to benefit from exclusive sports betting offers, including in-play betting through a bespoke promotional site.
The on-air creative campaign, which launched during the FA Cup fifth round last weekend, was negotiated by ITV Commercial directly with William Hill and will drive consumers to the promotional site, ITV.com/WilliamHill.
ITV is currently in the middle of a four-year deal to show live FA Cup games, having taken over the rights from the BBC and BSkyB in 2007. Under the deal, ITV is allowed to show live coverage of sixteen FA Cup games per season including first pick live matches from each of the 1st to 6th rounds of the competition, plus one semi-final exclusively live, as well as highlights of all ties.
“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with ITV and bringing our sports betting product, particularly in-play betting, to a wider audience,” said Henry Birch, Chief Executive of William Hill Online.
Steve Chambers, Key Account Director of ITV Commercial added: “As the home of free-to-air live football in the UK ITV is a natural brand fit with William Hill. We are really excited about partnering with the UK’s top online bookmaker.”
The agreement follows last year's four-month sponsorship by William Hill Bingo of ITV daytime show 'The Real Deal'.
The on-air creative campaign, which launched during the FA Cup fifth round last weekend, was negotiated by ITV Commercial directly with William Hill and will drive consumers to the promotional site, ITV.com/WilliamHill.
ITV is currently in the middle of a four-year deal to show live FA Cup games, having taken over the rights from the BBC and BSkyB in 2007. Under the deal, ITV is allowed to show live coverage of sixteen FA Cup games per season including first pick live matches from each of the 1st to 6th rounds of the competition, plus one semi-final exclusively live, as well as highlights of all ties.
“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with ITV and bringing our sports betting product, particularly in-play betting, to a wider audience,” said Henry Birch, Chief Executive of William Hill Online.
Steve Chambers, Key Account Director of ITV Commercial added: “As the home of free-to-air live football in the UK ITV is a natural brand fit with William Hill. We are really excited about partnering with the UK’s top online bookmaker.”
The agreement follows last year's four-month sponsorship by William Hill Bingo of ITV daytime show 'The Real Deal'.
Eight arrested over match-fixing allegations in Turkey
A Diyarbakır court arrested eight people Monday on accusations of illegal betting and match-fixing, releasing 28 others pending trial.
The 36 people were among 77 taken into custody Friday in an operation led by the Diyarbakır prosecutor’s office. Houses and offices were raid in 13 cities, including Istanbul, Antalya, Muğla and Gaziantep.
Those in custody were accused of organizing illegal online betting on football matches and manipulating some lower division games to maximize profits. The accused include nine professional footballers and a coach.
The court also decided to freeze the assets of 25 people allegedly involved in the organization.
In a written statement, Diyarbakır police said the operations were conducted with the knowledge and cooperation of the Turkish Football Federation, or TFF.
Ömer Bedük, a legal adviser for the TFF, visited Diyarbakır police headquarters on the weekend and said, “I wanted to congratulate and thank police officials on behalf of TFF President Mahmut Özgener.”
He said: “The TFF has been a firm supporter of actions against illegal gambling and match-fixing. We will share our knowledge and legal documents with the prosecutor’s office to speed up the trial process. Match-fixing is a cancer for Turkish football and must be stopped immediately.”
Mehmet Aslan, legal advisor to Spor-Toto, the owner of Turkey’s official betting game, İddaa, urged citizens to gamble legally. “The money that should stay in Turkey goes abroad through illegal gambling. The total amount of illegal gambling in Turkey is estimated at over $1 billion.”
Aslan also said Spor-Toto would apply to become an intervening party in the case.
The 36 people were among 77 taken into custody Friday in an operation led by the Diyarbakır prosecutor’s office. Houses and offices were raid in 13 cities, including Istanbul, Antalya, Muğla and Gaziantep.
Those in custody were accused of organizing illegal online betting on football matches and manipulating some lower division games to maximize profits. The accused include nine professional footballers and a coach.
The court also decided to freeze the assets of 25 people allegedly involved in the organization.
In a written statement, Diyarbakır police said the operations were conducted with the knowledge and cooperation of the Turkish Football Federation, or TFF.
Ömer Bedük, a legal adviser for the TFF, visited Diyarbakır police headquarters on the weekend and said, “I wanted to congratulate and thank police officials on behalf of TFF President Mahmut Özgener.”
He said: “The TFF has been a firm supporter of actions against illegal gambling and match-fixing. We will share our knowledge and legal documents with the prosecutor’s office to speed up the trial process. Match-fixing is a cancer for Turkish football and must be stopped immediately.”
Mehmet Aslan, legal advisor to Spor-Toto, the owner of Turkey’s official betting game, İddaa, urged citizens to gamble legally. “The money that should stay in Turkey goes abroad through illegal gambling. The total amount of illegal gambling in Turkey is estimated at over $1 billion.”
Aslan also said Spor-Toto would apply to become an intervening party in the case.
Norway cracks down on online gambling
An upcoming change to Norwegian gambling laws designed to crack down on illegal internet gambling will come into effect in a few months. The new law is called the Payment Act. It has already been approved by lawmakers, but won’t be enforced until June 01. In a nutshell, the new law attempts to crack down on illegal online gambling by punishing local financial institutions that process transactions between Norwegian accounts and unlicensed internet gaming sites.
Punishment will come when a bank or other financial provider assists in money transfers to and from certain online gambling sites in Norway. The ban will only affect locally-operated banks and payment processors since Norwegian laws do not apply across borders. The Payment Act is aimed primarily at unlicensed internet gambling sites that are hosted in other countries, but the new law will also help crack down on local sites that are operating illegally.
In many respects, this new law is similar to the UIGEA in the United States, which also aims to tackle the problem of unauthorized internet gambling by blocking financial transactions. Coincidentally, the UIGEA is scheduled to become active on the same day as Norway’s Payment Act.
Stephen Ketteley of Norway’s Berwin Leighton Paisner law firm is not sure how effective the ban will be. “Various other payments bans have struggled,” says Ketteley, “because the financial services sector simply refuses to accommodate the authorities' requirement to curb private gambling activity.”
Gambling operators are not concerned either. Betsson chief executive Pontus Lindwall says, “Although it’s not 100% clear what will be hit and when, I think it’s only a minor part of payments that will be hit. There will still be ways for clients to pay.”
Internet gambling in Norway will persevere, especially since the new law only targets financial institutions, not players.
Punishment will come when a bank or other financial provider assists in money transfers to and from certain online gambling sites in Norway. The ban will only affect locally-operated banks and payment processors since Norwegian laws do not apply across borders. The Payment Act is aimed primarily at unlicensed internet gambling sites that are hosted in other countries, but the new law will also help crack down on local sites that are operating illegally.
In many respects, this new law is similar to the UIGEA in the United States, which also aims to tackle the problem of unauthorized internet gambling by blocking financial transactions. Coincidentally, the UIGEA is scheduled to become active on the same day as Norway’s Payment Act.
Stephen Ketteley of Norway’s Berwin Leighton Paisner law firm is not sure how effective the ban will be. “Various other payments bans have struggled,” says Ketteley, “because the financial services sector simply refuses to accommodate the authorities' requirement to curb private gambling activity.”
Gambling operators are not concerned either. Betsson chief executive Pontus Lindwall says, “Although it’s not 100% clear what will be hit and when, I think it’s only a minor part of payments that will be hit. There will still be ways for clients to pay.”
Internet gambling in Norway will persevere, especially since the new law only targets financial institutions, not players.
February 19, 2010
Parliament egaming summit sees Unibet square off against Finnish monopolies
Finland's regulators and monopolies held a public meeting this week to debate new online gambling rules that have strengthened the hand of Finland’s state monopolies by allowing them to offer online poker, casino games and bingo, with Unibet the only operator invited to defend liberalisation.
At a summit at the Finnish Parliament’s Visitor's Centre in Helsinki moderated by Jyrki Kasvi, chairman of the Finnish parliament’s Information Society Group and a member of the Green Party, authorities and state operators sought to explain a new licence system. This will allow Finnish Slot Machine Association (RAY) and Finnish state lottery Veikkaus Oy to start offering online poker and casino games and online bingo respectively. The Lotteries Act Project could also include a ban on all gambling marketing in Finland.
Together with Fintoto, which offers horseracing betting, RAY and Veikkaus Oy are the only legal online operators in mainland Finland, but have been allowed to offer the new products in order to compete with private operators.
The meeting was also attended by Christophe Dhaisne, head of Western Europe at Unibet, which this week launched a business to business arm and revealed it is to provide a sportsbook solution to Ålands Penningautomatförening, or Paf, Finland’s only other legal operator, which is based on the country’s semi-autonomous Åland islands.
Speaking for RAY, spokeswoman Tuula Lehto said that the purpose of the company’s new online products is to provide a "national, reliable and responsible alternative for Finnish players". Dhaisne, by contrast, argued the merits of a liberalised market over the current monopoly system, which has survived a number of legal challenges on the basis that it better protects citizens from problem gambling.
Dhaisne said: “We believe that Finland’s actions are contradicting Article 49... the group that is pushing the new law has not even considered alternatives to the current regime, even though that is what is happening in Italy, France, Denmark Estonia… why that is, we don’t know.”
Unibet was the only private operator in attendance.
The Ministry of the Interior’s director of legislative affairs, Kimmo Hakonen, the minister leading the Lotteries Act Project responsible for the new rules, defended the monopoly status quo, arguing that it only clarifies earlier Finnish gambling legislation which is “equipment neutral," meaning that it applies as much to online gambling as land-based.
Also appearing were Mia-Veera Koivisto, project coordinator of problem gambling group A-Clinic Foundation; Paf product development manager Sonja Kangas; and the Åland Islands minister responsible for gaming issues, Roger Eriksson.
At a summit at the Finnish Parliament’s Visitor's Centre in Helsinki moderated by Jyrki Kasvi, chairman of the Finnish parliament’s Information Society Group and a member of the Green Party, authorities and state operators sought to explain a new licence system. This will allow Finnish Slot Machine Association (RAY) and Finnish state lottery Veikkaus Oy to start offering online poker and casino games and online bingo respectively. The Lotteries Act Project could also include a ban on all gambling marketing in Finland.
Together with Fintoto, which offers horseracing betting, RAY and Veikkaus Oy are the only legal online operators in mainland Finland, but have been allowed to offer the new products in order to compete with private operators.
The meeting was also attended by Christophe Dhaisne, head of Western Europe at Unibet, which this week launched a business to business arm and revealed it is to provide a sportsbook solution to Ålands Penningautomatförening, or Paf, Finland’s only other legal operator, which is based on the country’s semi-autonomous Åland islands.
Speaking for RAY, spokeswoman Tuula Lehto said that the purpose of the company’s new online products is to provide a "national, reliable and responsible alternative for Finnish players". Dhaisne, by contrast, argued the merits of a liberalised market over the current monopoly system, which has survived a number of legal challenges on the basis that it better protects citizens from problem gambling.
Dhaisne said: “We believe that Finland’s actions are contradicting Article 49... the group that is pushing the new law has not even considered alternatives to the current regime, even though that is what is happening in Italy, France, Denmark Estonia… why that is, we don’t know.”
Unibet was the only private operator in attendance.
The Ministry of the Interior’s director of legislative affairs, Kimmo Hakonen, the minister leading the Lotteries Act Project responsible for the new rules, defended the monopoly status quo, arguing that it only clarifies earlier Finnish gambling legislation which is “equipment neutral," meaning that it applies as much to online gambling as land-based.
Also appearing were Mia-Veera Koivisto, project coordinator of problem gambling group A-Clinic Foundation; Paf product development manager Sonja Kangas; and the Åland Islands minister responsible for gaming issues, Roger Eriksson.
Norway online gambling payments ban signed into law
A ban on the processing of any unauthorised online gambling transactions in Norway has been passed into law.
Norway’s Payment Act, which orders the clampdown, has received royal assent, meaning that is therefore now fully adopted legislation.
The Act establishes that processing payments for remote gambling where the gambling is being conducted without a Norwegian licence will amount to “accessory involvement” in unlawful gambling.
This offence will apply to any financial services provider assisting in the transfer of payments from players in Norway, and will come into effect on 1 June – the same day that the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) will come into effect, which always prohibits financial services providers from processing gambling transactions, and has recently led to crackdown on US egaming payments by US credit card giants Mastercard and Visa.
However Stephen Ketteley, a partner in the gaming law practice at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, played down the significance of the law.
Ketteley said: “Whilst this development, which has been a long time coming, will cause banks, processors and the like to re-assess any activities that could be caught by the ban, it will be interesting to see if it will have an appreciable effect on operators' Norwegian businesses.
“Various other payments bans have struggled, either because operators have already established their view on taking related business - and a payments ban won't change that - or because the financial services sector simply refuse to accommodate the authorities' requirement to curb private gambling activity.”
Ketteley’s view echoes that of operators including Sweden’s Betsson, which has a large Norwegian customer base but whose chief executive Pontus Lindwall, recently said that Betsson does not expect the Norwegian payments ban to affect its business
Norway’s Payment Act, which orders the clampdown, has received royal assent, meaning that is therefore now fully adopted legislation.
The Act establishes that processing payments for remote gambling where the gambling is being conducted without a Norwegian licence will amount to “accessory involvement” in unlawful gambling.
This offence will apply to any financial services provider assisting in the transfer of payments from players in Norway, and will come into effect on 1 June – the same day that the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) will come into effect, which always prohibits financial services providers from processing gambling transactions, and has recently led to crackdown on US egaming payments by US credit card giants Mastercard and Visa.
However Stephen Ketteley, a partner in the gaming law practice at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, played down the significance of the law.
Ketteley said: “Whilst this development, which has been a long time coming, will cause banks, processors and the like to re-assess any activities that could be caught by the ban, it will be interesting to see if it will have an appreciable effect on operators' Norwegian businesses.
“Various other payments bans have struggled, either because operators have already established their view on taking related business - and a payments ban won't change that - or because the financial services sector simply refuse to accommodate the authorities' requirement to curb private gambling activity.”
Ketteley’s view echoes that of operators including Sweden’s Betsson, which has a large Norwegian customer base but whose chief executive Pontus Lindwall, recently said that Betsson does not expect the Norwegian payments ban to affect its business
February 18, 2010
MasterCard turns back on US online gambling
Internet gambling in the United States is not, technically speaking, illegal, and players don’t face penalties for gambling online. Instead, current gambling law in the US targets banks and other financial providers that help US players to fund their online accounts. Under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006, banks can face penalties for helping players to make deposits and withdrawals to online accounts associated with internet gambling.
The UIGEA, however, is not actually in force. It was meant to come into action months ago, but its implementation was delayed. Despite this fact, banks are already taking action to prevent future legal trouble. MasterCard, and to a lesser extent Visa, have in recent weeks began to pull away from the online gambling world in what appears to be a precautionary move.
One problem MasterCard and its rivals are facing is that online gambling firms have a habit of re-coding financial information so it looks as if the transactions that are being processed have nothing to do with internet gambling. MasterCard has been hard at work investigating these situations, and are cracking down on such activities.
While there is a good chance that American gambling laws will soon change and that online gambling in the US will become fully legal, it seems that major banks don’t want to take any chances. As a result of MasterCard’s apprehension, many online gambling sites that accept US players, including Doyles Room, Absolute Poker, and Bodog, have been forced to stop accepting MasterCard as a viable payment method for US players.
In the meantime, a British company called UC Group Ltd. has announced the launch of SecureTrading Inc., a new electronic payment processing system that will be based in the New York area. It is being set up to service internet casinos and online poker sites in the United States.
The UIGEA, however, is not actually in force. It was meant to come into action months ago, but its implementation was delayed. Despite this fact, banks are already taking action to prevent future legal trouble. MasterCard, and to a lesser extent Visa, have in recent weeks began to pull away from the online gambling world in what appears to be a precautionary move.
One problem MasterCard and its rivals are facing is that online gambling firms have a habit of re-coding financial information so it looks as if the transactions that are being processed have nothing to do with internet gambling. MasterCard has been hard at work investigating these situations, and are cracking down on such activities.
While there is a good chance that American gambling laws will soon change and that online gambling in the US will become fully legal, it seems that major banks don’t want to take any chances. As a result of MasterCard’s apprehension, many online gambling sites that accept US players, including Doyles Room, Absolute Poker, and Bodog, have been forced to stop accepting MasterCard as a viable payment method for US players.
In the meantime, a British company called UC Group Ltd. has announced the launch of SecureTrading Inc., a new electronic payment processing system that will be based in the New York area. It is being set up to service internet casinos and online poker sites in the United States.
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