British government minister attacks US ban

2006-10-27 17:40:00

UK culture secretary Tessa Jowell has launched a stinging attack on America's new gambling laws, describing them as equivalent to a "new prohibition", likely to do more harm than good.

Ms Jowell insisted that the UK policy of regulation would work far better than the US decision to prohibit online gambling, a move which had already attracted much criticism.

UK plans involve providing online players with clear and constant information regarding how much they have spent, and preventing gambling companies from advertising to children.

Speaking about the US legislation, Ms Jowell said: "America should have learnt the lessons of prohibition, [which] forced otherwise law-abiding customers into the hands of the bootleggers.

"If it goes wrong, there is a real danger is that off shore sites based in poorly regulated countries will become the modern day equivalent of speakeasies, increasing the risk of exploitation and fraud," she added.

Following Ms Jowell's comments, it seems unlikely that such moves will ever occur in Britain, despite increasingly prohibitive measures being put in place across Europe.

Instead the UK Gambling Act, passed last year, extends internet licenses to gaming companies, with experts predicting that further measures may be used to give offshore gambling firms more legitimacy.


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