New casino laws now in force

2007-09-03 15:07:18

New laws affecting the British casino industry came into force at the weekend, meaning that casinos will be able to advertise on television and radio for the first time.

Casinos will be able to advertise after the 21:00 watershed, although an exemption has been made for those who are associated with pre-watershed sporting events.

The implementation of the 2005 Gambling Act also means that new regional casinos can be built and bigger slot machine payouts allowed.

A new watchdog called the Gambling Commission will oversee the industry and ensure that casinos and other gambling outfits are sticking to the new laws.

But a report in the Guardian said that the Gambling Commission has failed to deliver "even the government's watered-down intentions".

The scrapping of the supercasino project and the fact that casino companies have declined to come to the UK is a demonstration of the commission's impotence, the paper said.