3 2 February 2004

News:

Senator Jon Kyl, Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, intends to try once again to move forward with his Bill to prohibit online gambling.

Online sports book Paddy Power went public in February that they had received extortion demands from cyber criminals, who had threatened to take down their site unless payments were made. The company assured investors and users alike that the site’s security had not been compromised.

The Head of the Betting and Racing Team at the UK Government’s Department of Culture Media and Sport, Clive Hawkswood, will be speaking at a half-day event in London, organised by world online gambling law report, which will explain the UK Government’s thinking behind the UK Gambling Bill and its attitude towards the use of the proposed reserve powers to restrict advertising by operators.

Features:

February saw a number of attacks on online bookmakers’ websites. As the frequency of such attacks increases, this article looks at the different threats to websites, and considers what can be done to protect online businesses from this new breed of cyber-criminal.

White labelling of gambling services offers the prospect of new markets for brand owners and suppliers alike. This article looks at how the developing regulatory framework impacts on the growth of such business.

The notice to terminate the ten year deal that attheraces negotiated in 2001 with representatives of 49 English racecourses for broadcasting and interactive rights has highlighted once again the risks associated with these deals for both media and sports organisations.

The latest offerings from the DCMS on the Gambling Bill have now been published. This article examines the three main areas affected and, in particular, considers the changes in the proposed approach to advertising.

As new policy documents come out of the DCMS, we ask the Alderney regulator for their impressions on the Gambling Bill, and receive an insight into the Bill’s implications for Alderney.

Continuing our Alice in Wonderland theme, we ask whether, once we step through the looking glass, this rare chance for a clear and unitary system for the regulation of gambling offered by the Gambling Bill, will in fact translate into easier regulation?

The threat to online gambling is as real as ever as policy makers continue to pursue a prohibition approach. This article reviews the current status of attempts to outlaw internet gaming.

In a further attempt to defeat illegal bookmakers, the Hong Kong Jockey Club can now take bets on soccer matches. But is protecting the incumbent monopolist the right approach? This article suggests that the future lies in an open but regulated market as a better way of dealing with the problem of illegal gambling.