Online Casino And Poker Ads Face Crackdown
153/05
Online casino and poker adverts that break the law face prosecution, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport Tessa Jowell told the British Casino Association AGM today.
In her speech Jowell acknowledged concerns over the increase in potentially illegal advertising by online gambling operators and said action would be taken against advertisers and publishers if adverts continued to cross the line.
The Gaming Board for Great Britain has previously stated that in their view the Gaming Act 1968, which is still in force in this area, is breached if any incentive, inducement or encouragement to gamble is offered in the advertising.
This crackdown will be accompanied by more detailed guidance to on-line operators, advertisers and publishers from the Government and the Gambling Commission.
The initiative is not about trying to catch out operators acting in good faith, it is about stopping operators from deliberately flouting the law. Offenders could face £5,000 fines and/or up to 2 years in prison.
Online casino and poker rooms currently operate offshore but the Gambling Act 2005 will enable them to operate from Great Britain for the first time.
Passed in April this year the Act does not come fully into force until September 2007, at which time on-line gamblers will have access to a properly regulated British on-line casino industry with robust protections in place for children and the vulnerable.
The Act also provides the Secretary of State with powers to restrict future gambling advertising should the self-regulation by the advertising industry prove insufficient.
Tessa Jowell said:
"It's clear that some adverts have been breaking the existing law. I am not willing to turn a blind eye to this and have agreed with the Gambling Commission that we should crack down on advertisers and publishers who knowingly break the law. We will issue them with new guidance and I am putting them on notice that we won't hesitate to ask the Crown Prosecution Service to act."
Gambling Commission board to be expanded
Tessa Jowell went on to announce plans to further strengthen the board of the new gambling regulator the Gambling Commission with at least one more member with expertise in social responsibility.
She also announced an April 2006 cut off date for applications for casino operating licences under the 1968 Gaming Act.
She said:
"The Gambling Commission has assumed new responsibilities, not least the question of social responsibility. I have discussed with Peter Dean, its Chairman, how to further strengthen its Board and are looking to expand their already considerable skills with at least one more new member with expertise in social responsibility.
"I am also announcing today that subject to consultation no further applications for certificates of consent for new casino licences should be allowed after April 2006. We have made it clear throughout this process that we want to avoid proliferation in the number of smaller casinos."
Note to Editors
1. A copy of the 2005 Gambling Act is available at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/20050019.htm
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