Casino News

UK new centre for online gambling?

2006-10-09 16:15:00

The Labour government is keen to have the UK benefit from the fall of online gaming elsewhere in the world by attracting casino companies to them.

Reports of the internet gambling tycoons meeting with Labour officials numerous times over the last two years was confirmed when Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said: "Britain should become a world leader in the field of online gambling."

In October, culture secretary Tessa Jowell will host an international summit to address the regulatory issues of the online gambling industry.

The web casino businesses around the world have been struck recently by a wave of chief executive arrests in response to legal hiccups that have the industry running scared, while the US prepares to shut down access to its residents.

The UK plans to give web casinos their "stamp of approval" in order to introduce a well-regulated tax scheme that would put the UK at the centre of the web gaming industry.