Times are tough all over. People are getting laid off. Their houses are worth less than they paid, or even the amount they owe on them. Their retirement savings have collapsed. Their credit card debt is off the charts.

So, what is the response of their elected leaders here in progressive Massachusetts, home of undying empathy and compassion for “hard-working people” and “the most vulnerable among us”?

Take even more money away from them, through more taxes and more gambling.

Of course, it is all done in very genteel, civilized fashion. The Orwellian abuse of plain language is elevated to high art. The mayors — including Salem’s Kim Driscoll — and labor unions pushing for more taxes and more gambling, call themselves the Massachusetts Coalition for Jobs and Growth. Nobody is ever so gauche as to say the words “taxes” or “gambling.” It is “revenue” and “gaming.”

Everybody is well dressed and well spoken — well, maybe Boston Mayor Tom Menino isn’t so well spoken, but it doesn’t seem to matter. He keeps getting re-elected. All the talk is about services, about infrastructure, about education, about local aid to cities and towns.

Legislative leaders, including state Rep. Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, chairman of the House Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee, speak of “best practices” and keeping tourism money from wandering into Connecticut or New Hampshire.

Basically, you’re supposed to think of it as government giving you something.

You’re not supposed to think about where the money it gives you comes from. It wouldn’t work so well to figure out that you give them 10 bucks and they give you two or three, or less, back.

Here is the less euphemistic reality. There are more taxes coming at you from every direction. In the works right now (in the form of budget amendments filed by your representatives) are proposed new or increased taxes on meals, on hotel rooms, on liquor, tobacco, candy and soft drinks. Taxes on nonprofit organizations. Taxes on e-mail, Internet sales and online banking. Higher taxes on gasoline. Some legislators are pushing for increases in the sales and income tax, as well.

And, of course, you can almost see the dollar signs in the eyes of legislators considering the prospect of people voluntarily letting more than $1 billion get sucked out of their pockets by slot machines and/or casinos.

According to the “gaming” industry’s estimates, three resort casinos in Massachusetts would produce nearly $500 million in new tax revenue, create 10,000 construction jobs and 20,000 related jobs, and generate another $400 million in spinoff business.

Of course, that $500 million, if that much really is generated, will disappear like a puff of smoke into the pockets of public employee unions to make up for the allegedly huge sacrifices they made by deferring raises or taking one or two furlough days. It won’t provide any new or improved services.

And that is what this is all about. It is not about funding reform or really fixing our bloated, inefficient and crumbling transportation structure. It is about using taxes and predatory gambling (slots are generally known as the “crack cocaine” of gambling) to perpetuate business as usual.

Meanwhile, nobody wants to hear the voice of Richard Young, president of Casino Free Mass, who cites other studies showing that for every dollar the state gets from casinos or slots, it will have to spend another $3 dealing with “social costs” like increased crime, lost work time, bankruptcy and family disintegration.

Nobody wants to hear that the bulk of the money coming from gambling is coming from those who can least afford to lose it.

No, that will all be drowned out by voices like that of Senate President Therese Murray. “Ka-ching,” she said recently, moving her hand like a slot player. “We need the revenue.”

Of course, this recession will eventually end. But all these new and increased taxes and gambling palaces will remain. And the next time the economy tanks, and state and municipal budgets are twice what they are now, you will hear the same story.

Pinnacle Entertainment(PNK Quote) shares moved higher on Friday as the casino company reported first-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates.
Pinnacle reported earnings from continuing operations of $1.2 million, or 2 cents per share on lower pre-opening and development costs, compared with a loss $15.8 million, or 26 cents per share in the prior-year period. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, who were expecting a loss of 3 cents per share.

Pinnacle shares were trading up 8%, or 86 cents to $11.59.

The $269 million in revenue also beat Wall Street’s forecast of $265.3 million.

Pinnacle, based in Las Vegas, Nev., operates seven casinos in the U.S., mostly, in Louisiana, Indiana, Missouri and Nevada.

Elsewhere in casino land, shares of Las Vegas Sands(LVS Quote) were up 12.7% to $7.05 of volume of more than 27 million shares.

Penn National Gaming(PENN Quote), which reported an upbeat quarter Thursday, was up 6.8% to $32.86.

The results impressed JPMorgan gaming analyst Joseph Greff: “We continue to believe that PENN is well positioned in relatively healthy regional gaming markets, possesses a strong competitive positioning in these markets, and has the ability to extract margin improvement even on flat year-over-year revenue performance,” he wrote in a note late Thursday. “We are also raising our year-end 2009 price target to $34 from $31, which assumes that PENN can trade at 7.5x 2010E EV/EBITDA by the end of the year.”

MGM Mirage(MGM Quote) was up 5% to $6.01.

Boyd Gaming(BYD Quote) was up 11.4% to $7.32.

Wynn Entertainment(WYNN Quote) was up 4.8% to $38.18.

Isle of Capri Casinos(ISLE Quote) was up 6.8% to $9.60.

Ameristar Casinos(ASCA Quote) was up 2.9% to $15.51.

Boss Media signs long-term contract with Gaming VC
Gaming VC Holdings SA, a leading European Internet gaming and sportsbetting firm, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with famed software provider Boss Media AB. The contract was for the provision of instant –play games that further improves its present software suite from Boss.
Boss Media is the current provider of Gaming VC’s casino downloads, poker game variants, back office support systems and on-line payment services going back to 2004. This successful partnership between the two Internet-related firms will be strengthened some more with the new agreement. Specifically, Gaming VC will utilize Boss Media’s industry leading state-of-the-art Instant Casino software package that includes additional mesmerizing games developed by Dynamite Idea and Finsoft., a spokesman for Boss Media revealed only this week.
Mr. Rahul Parek, the CEO of Boss Media claims this new strategic partnership reaffirms the superiority of Boss Media’s product suites and enhances its overall market position. He was extremely delighted to have renewed his company’s tie-up with one of Europe’s leading gaming sites.
On the other hand, Mr. Kenneth Alexander, the CEO of Gaming VC, states the strategic contract with Boss Media will enable his to company pursue long-term stability and healthy growth rates in the years to come. Boss Media, without doubt, can deliver on leading-edge digital content and also liquidity to the business, he added.
Gaming VC is a force in the gaming industry with several subsidiaries like Casino Club, Casino Club Poker, Poker Kings, BetPro, Betaland, 777 Slots Club, Affiliate Club and WinZingo.

Investigators are looking into gambling as the possible motivation for a Boston medical student accused of targeting women who advertised erotic services on Craigslist, luring them into hotels to rob them and killing one woman who fought back.
Philip Markoff is accused in the death of Julissa Brisman, a masseuse who was found dead April 14 in a Boston hotel after being bashed in the head and shot three times. He’s also suspected of robbing and tying up another, and police have said there could be more victims.
A Connecticut casino has confirmed it is cooperating with authorities investigating Markoff’s gambling habits.
Markoff was arrested on Monday on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts as he and his fiancee drove to Foxwoods Resort Casino.
“We do not release information publicly concerning individual patrons; however, we are aware of this situation and are cooperating with the appropriate law enforcement authorities,” the casino and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation said in a statement.
Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley refused to comment directly on reports that Markoff might have been seeking money to pay gambling debts.
“As we explore various motives for the robberies, gambling is certainly a motive that we will look at,” he said.
Authorities have portrayed Markoff as a predator.
“This was a brutal, vicious crime - savage, and it shows Philip Markoff is a man who is willing to take advantage of women, to hurt them, to beat them, to rob them,” Conley said Tuesday. “He probably thought he was going to get away with it. He thought he was too smart for us.”
Markoff’s fiancee, Megan McAllister, is standing by her man and swore he couldn’t hurt a fly.
But Markoff’s former medical school lab partner at Boston University said she is not surprised that he’s a suspect in the case because he had profound mood swings and often appeared “disturbed.”
Markoff would appear warm and friendly one day, then be brooding and depressed the next day, Tiffany Montgomery told The Boston Globe. She was so troubled that she considered alerting school counselors that he might be suicidal.
He spoke only when someone else initiated a conversation, and although he seemed nice, he was also “strange in a dark way,” she said.
Police also said they found a semiautomatic weapon, duct tape and restraints - what prosecutors called “critical, powerful” evidence - in the couple’s Quincy apartment.
Markoff, a second-year medical student, appeared in court Tuesday on charges including murder, kidnapping and armed robbery. Dressed in a wrinkled button-down shirt and khakis, he said nothing during the brief hearing and was jailed without bail.
Defense attorney John Salsberg said later that Markoff is not guilty and “has his family’s support.”
ABC News, citing an anonymous source who has knowledge of the investigation, reported on Tuesday that Markoff gambled all night at the Foxwoods Casino two days after Brisman’s death, leaving with $5,300 in winnings.
He also gambled at the casino two days after the attack on another woman at the Westin Hotel in Boston, said the source, who spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity.
A police source close to the investigation told ABC News this week that police believe Markoff’s motive in the alleged crimes was to pay off gambling debts.
Brisman, 26, of New York City, was an aspiring model and actress who had advertised erotic massage on Craigslist. Authorities said she and Markoff communicated through e-mail and cell phone to set up a meeting.
Investigators traced an e-mail to Markoff, who created a new address the day before Brisman’s body was discovered at the Marriott Copley Hotel. He was arrested Monday on his way to the casino.
Authorities say he was the man seen on surveillance video near where Brisman was found and where a woman was robbed in Rhode Island.
Markoff’s grandfather, Jerome Markoff, a lawyer from Arnold, Md., said he was shocked.
“This is not my grandson. I know my grandson,” he told The Boston Globe. “I hate to see a rush to judgment … He’s a wonderful boy, just absolutely wonderful, and couldn’t be better. I’m proud of him and proud of his abilities as a medical student. He always wanted to be a doctor.”
Markoff’s grandfather did not immediately respond to a call from The Associated Press. Police said his grandson has no prior criminal record.
Markoff is also suspected in the attempted robbery Thursday in Warwick, R.I., of a stripper who had posted an ad on Craigslist. She was held at gunpoint before her husband entered the room and her attacker fled.
Markoff’s mother, Susan Haynes, declined to comment through a receptionist at her apartment complex in Sherrill, N.Y., where Markoff went to high school.
He graduated in 2007 from the State University of New York at Albany.
Boston University has said Markoff was suspended immediately following his arrest.
The McAllister family did not answer the door of their Little Silver, N.J., home Tuesday.

Silversands could be under pressure as SA’s regulation of online gambling comes into effect

The most prolific online poker advertiser on South African national television, Silversands Poker, could be about to face difficulties with the South African authorities as that country’s long-anticipated Internet gambling regulations come into effect, reports Business Day.

Published in the Government Gazette for public comment in February this year, the legislation making online gambling a licensed activity is nearing inception….and one of its stipulations is that any operator that works illegally will not be allowed to apply for a licence or advertise its services within the boundaries of South Africa.

Silversands has until now taken advantage of a regulatory void and continues to operate illegally, raising the ire of both the National Gambling Board (NGB) and the [land] industry, the newspaper reports.

Thebi Moja, acting CEO of the NGB, told Business Day that the board and various law enforcement bodies are trying to put a stop to Silversands’ operations. “They know very well that they are operating illegally and we have for a number of years attempted to put a stop to their activities,” he said. “If we are able to prevent them from operating in South Africa that would be a big victory.”

The board is taking a hard line against illegal online gaming. Moja cities the example of a South African who won SA Rands 8 millions ($800 000) on an offshore online gaming site but was prevented by the South African authorities from bringing the funds into the country.

The local land gambling industry is also frustrated at being unable to compete with the likes of Silversands. Last year the Casino Association of SA (Casa) unsuccessfully lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the country regarding the Silversands television and print adverts.

“We have let it ride for now. There was no point in pursuing Silversands as there is no regulation yet to hold them to,” says Casa CEO Derek Auret, explaining that Silversands repositioned their adverts as an educational campaign, claiming to teach people how to play poker rather than as an online gaming site per se.

National Gambling Board spokesmen are hopeful that the new licensing regime will be in place within the next few months, provided that the public consultative phase does not result in significant changes to the proposed regulations, which have already been subjected to extensive debate.

Under the proposed regulations South Africans wanting to play online will have to open a nominated South African bank account that will be used solely for online gaming. Only credit cards can be used to make payments, and the accounts will have to adhere to normal banking and FICA requirements.

“We will work together with the banks and the SA Reserve Bank to monitor the accounts and players will not be permitted to have more than R20 000 in their accounts at any point,” says Moja.

Once the regulations are in place, the NGB envisages issuing 10 online licences to South African operators, Business Day reports. Licensees will be required to have their servers based in SA.

The South African horse racing and betting group Phumelela CEO Rian du Plessis has confirmed that his group will seek a licence once the regulations are in place.

Anthony Puttergill, CEO of the land casino group Peermont, says they too will apply when the licences become available. Puttergill believes there is huge growth potential in the online environment, particularly as internet penetration in SA increases. He estimates the market at between R400 million and R1 billion at present.

The proposed Interactive Gambling Tax Bill provides for a tax on online operators of 6 percent of gross gambling revenue.

Meanwhile, Professor Don Ross, research director at the National Responsible Gambling Programme in South Africa, has been considering the likely impact of regulated online gambling in the country.

“On a theoretical level, online gaming’s increased accessibility should make it more dangerous than traditional gaming,” Ross said in a recent interview. “But from the limited investigation we have done, that does not seem to be the reality.”

However, Ross believes that easy access to credit may be a bigger problem than addiction itself. “It can be said that people may not fully appreciate the financial implications of using credit and it could get even responsible gamblers into trouble,” he suggested, adding that limiting online accounts to R20 000, as proposed in the new online gaming regulations, was a prudent regulatory feature.

Do New Jerseyans want to be able to wager on professional sports events at Atlantic City casinos or horse racing tracks? You bet!

A new poll shows state residents favor legalizing sports betting in the nation’s second-largest gambling market by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll comes shortly after a state lawmaker, an online gambling association and others sued the U.S. Justice Department to overturn a law that restricts sports betting to only four states. Sen. Ray Lesniak says New Jersey and other states are missing out on a large source of revenue that’s now going to organized crime.

Pro sports leagues oppose the idea, arguing against anything that casts a shadow on the integrity of the games.

“Betting on sports is not an uncommon practice for many New Jerseyans,” said Donald Hoover, a professor in the university’s International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and a former casino executive. “But for the most part, the state doesn’t supervise it, doesn’t tax it and doesn’t take any revenue from it.”

That is one of the main arguments Lesniak and others make in favor of opening up sports betting to the 46 states where it is currently banned. Estimates of illegal sports betting in the United States vary widely, but range as high as $380 billion a year, according to the National Gaming Impact Study Commission.

A consultant hired by one of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association, estimated that sports betting could become a $10 billion-a-year industry in New Jersey by 2011 if it were permitted in casinos, at racetracks, online and by telephone. That could generate nearly $100 million a year in tax revenues for the state, according to the group’s CEO, Joseph Brennan.

In the poll, 63 percent of New Jerseyans said they support making sports betting legal at the 11 Atlantic City casinos, while 32 percent opposed it. Men favored it by a 69-27 margin, while women’s support was softer at 58-36.

The poll also found similarly strong support for allowing sports betting at horse racing tracks, by a margin of 63 percent to 30 percent.

But voters were nearly split on whether to allow it at off-track betting parlors, with 48 percent saying yes and 43 percent saying no.

By a wide margin, 66 to 26 percent, New Jerseyans oppose legalizing sports betting by telephone and the Internet.

The statewide telephone poll of 728 randomly selected registered voters was conducted from March 30 through April 4. It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Lesniak’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, seeks to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The 1992 law restricts sports betting to the four states that met a deadline to sign up for it: Nevada, where Las Vegas sports books determine the odds for sporting events across the country; Delaware; Montana; and Oregon.

The law carved out a special exemption for New Jersey, giving it a chance to decide if it wanted legal sports betting. The state failed to enact a law that would have done so, and the exemption window closed.

The lawsuit argues that the U.S. law is unconstitutional because it treats four states differently than the 46 others. It names U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Ralph Marra Jr., New Jersey’s acting U.S. attorney, as defendants.

The Justice Department has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.

In three year agreement collaboration with Finnish Internet gaming company Alands Penningautomatforening (PAF), an online gambling website was launched by Atletico Madrid, one of Spain’s top football clubs and Primera Division sides.
Apuestasrojiblancas.com is available in both English and Spanish and offers a full variety of betting and gaming services including sports betting, casino, poker, bingo, lottery, slots, and skill games which are all connected to the Atletico Madrid brand.
According to Anders Wiklund, Head of Business to Business at PAF, they are pleased that Atletico Madrid’s official gaming site has already gone live. It is their true honor that they can be able to offer their fans a very special and unique online entertainment service.
Commercial General Director of Atletico Madrid Juan Carlos Moya added that they have been taken a big step in terms of developing and meeting the demands and trends on the market. With the release of their new gaming site, they believe that they’ve met and communicate with their fans in a modern way because of the new technology.
Part of the proceeds will be donated to Maxi Rodriguez’ charity project in Rosario, Argentina, in co-operation with the Atletico Foundation.

CryptoLogic Limited, a world leader in Internet casino and branded gaming software, today announced the launch of a new downloadable game lineup that features Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the blockbuster hit and top-selling video game in 2007. The new games, which also include the eagerly anticipated Millionaires Club III, multi-line video slots Samba Nights, Reel in the Cash, and Penguins in Paradise, a new card game in Double Deck Blackjack, and enhanced versions of Single Deck and Progressive Blackjack, are available exclusively to players at Intercasino.com, Casinojoy.com, and dtdcasinos.com.

CryptoLogic is also releasing 25 new instant play versions of its most popular downloadable slot games, including many of its leading branded slots and enhanced versions of European Blackjack and European Roulette. These games will be available at Intercasino.com on April 9, 2009.

“CryptoLogic’s branded casino games remain the bread and butter of our business – and the keys to our profitability and growth in 2009 and beyond,” said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic’s President and CEO. “We deliver a truly unique customer experience by bringing the world’s top video game titles to the world’s top Internet casinos.”

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision Publishing, Inc., Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the best-selling first person action game of all time, having sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, based on data from NPD Charttrack and GfK. This explosive-action thriller arms gamers with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern day firepower, and transports them to the most treacherous hotspots around the globe to take on a rogue enemy group threatening the world. The 25 pay-line slot game features rich graphics, animation and sound effects that replicate the acclaimed game experience.

CryptoLogic has also recreated the feel of console game play in the interactive bonus round, where players become SAS soldiers and can eliminate enemy combatants to win free games and cash prizes.

Reel in the Cash

Players cruise down the river to their favourite fishing hole in this fun, light-hearted river adventure. Landing on three or more fishermen triggers the Fishing Follies bonus feature, where players can fish for extra cash. Reel in the Cash features up to 20 lines and gives players a chance to pair one of the world’s favourite pastimes, fishing, with the chance to win life changing prizes.

Samba Nights

In CryptoLogic’s first-ever 50-line slot game, players will groove to the Brazilian beat as showgirls dance across the screen and the player has a chance to win free games and cash prizes. The game features stacked wilds that offer players the chance to win 100,000 times their line bet.

Penguins in Paradise

In this wave-riding adventure, players join Mr. Penguin as he rides the waves in a stunning virtual paradise. The 25-line slot game features a bonus round where players perform tricks in front of a panel of penguin judges. If the penguin wipes out while performing the trick, a consolation prize of two times the triggering bet is awarded. A free game feature is awarded when three or more scattered drink symbols appear, tripling all prizes.

Millionaires Club III

CryptoLogic’s record-breaking Millionaires Club is back in a third version that includes stimulating graphics and exciting bonus rounds. The Millionaires Club series has awarded some of the largest jackpots in Internet casino history, including a record win of US$8 million in 2007.

In the new third version, players can play up to 20 lines in a game that celebrates the finer things in life with rich animation, sound and attention to detail. The bonus feature is triggered when three or more logos appear. Players must find three jackpot tokens to trigger the jackpot round prizes and any stop of a prize amount pays out the winnings.

“With this launch, CryptoLogic demonstrates its ability to create innovation in the online slot category through unique spin mechanisms and functionality – while always staying true to the essence of every brand,” said Justin Thouin, CryptoLogic’s Vice President, Product Management and Business Development. “This demonstrates why CryptoLogic is the partner of choice to the world’s largest entertainment brands.”

Boasting more than 280 games, CryptoLogic has one of the most comprehensive casino suites on the Internet today with games featuring some of the world’s most famous action and entertainment characters. CryptoLogic has earned rave reviews from industry peers and players alike, and in 2008 earned Gambling Online Magazine’s Top Casino Software award for the fourth consecutive year. Based on the votes of players around the world, it is widely considered the industry’s top honour.

The High Heels Poker Tour and Academy will be offering a 1-day all women’s poker academy with poker pro Susie Isaacs who will offer her insight, expertise and experiences as a professionally ranked poker player.

Susie Isaacs is best known for:

• Being the first woman to win the World Series of Poker ladies championship back-to-back in 1996 and 1997.

• In 1998, placed 10th in the World Series of Poker $10,000 event vying for the one million dollar first prize.

• Isaacs became the second woman in history to accomplish such an outstanding finish.

• She holds the record for most times in the money at the World Series of Poker ladies event.

• 2008 Fall Classic Golden Nugget Ladies Championship.

• Winner Championship at the 2008 Wildhorse Poker Round-Up.

• Her high achievements in competitive poker and the poker industry resulted in her being one of only four women in the world to be inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2008.

• In the spring of 2008, she will be inducted into the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. Isaacs has written poker related articles and stories under the title of “Chip Chatter” that have appeared in a variety of magazines since 1988.

• In 1999 Isaacs had her first book published. Entitled MsPoker: Up Close and Personal. Her newer books are 1,000 Best Poker Strategies and Secrets, MsPoker: I’m Not Bluffing, a two-book set, and Queens Can Beat Kings.

• Her latest literary offering is her first novel titled, White Knight, Black Nights, Poker is Skill, Life is the Gamble.

In addition to Ms. Isaacs, the HHPTA has a number of other professional female poker players on their teaching staff including Barbara Enright, JJ Liu, Karina Jett, and Kristy Gazes, just to name a few.

Tuition to this academy is $495 and includes a free-roll into Saturday’s HighHeelsPokerTour Ladies Event. Women, who participate in upcoming academies, will benefit from a hand-by-hand instruction, individualized attention from the top female pros in the industry and leave with personal feedback from their instructor. The women who attend any academy will also receive promotional give-a-ways, prizes and much more.

The High Heels Poker Tour (HHPT), the all women’s poker tour will be holding a ladies only event during the East Coast Poker Championship at Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, NY on May 16th. The buy-in for this tournament is $180 starting at 1 pm. This is the third HHPT ladies tournament event held at Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Political opposition Conservative Party claimed that there are nearly a quarter of a million more people that gambled online last year when compared to 2007.
It was estimated by the gambling Commission that 7.4 percent of online gamblers had already developed a betting addiction. Tories suggested that there are even additional 17,760 people at present that has a problem too. They criticized on the labor government for failure to crack down online gambling sites which are based overseas, which has lesser securities such as contact numbers of customer support and limits on stakes. These sites will block from advertising in the UK market not unless they meet the regulatory standards of Gambling Commissions. Same with the remote licenses which will only be issued only once company comply with the rules. This is stressed by the MPs oppositions.
There would be an additional charge to adopt a standard British kite mark which will be a proof advises to their customers that their site is approved and safe.
The shadow gambling minister said in his speech, “The Government has been happy to sit idly by and do nothing to stop the surge in unregulated online gambling. With each year that passes more people are getting addicted to these sites which offer little consumer protection. Companies that advertise here must meet the UK’s regulatory standards. We must ensure that online gambling is done in a responsible and safe environment.”
Department for Culture and Sports objected on the Conservative’s calculations. They stated that there is only 0.6 percent of the population that is remained stable in gambling addiction up to present. The spokesman added that there is no basis on Conservative’s claim and that level of gambling problem has not risen since 1997. It doesn’t mean that because more people are gambling online is there’s also an increase with problem gamblers.
It was reported last year that there are 3.36 million adults, which is 5.6 percent of UK populations have been gambling online compared to 3.12 million or 5.2 percent the year before. This preponderance of gambling continues to occur on the National Lottery.
It is being proposed by the firms that an online gambling site can only obtain a license to advertise in UK if they are registered in UK or within European Economic Area. Or they can also obtain license if they are based in a country on the white list of approved nations like Antigua and Barbuda, Gibraltar, Malta, Alderney and the Isle of Man.