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Casinos> 2007
- Real Casinos News Archive>
Rga Denies Support For U.s. Initiative To Amend The
Uigea
UK trade association more interested in
Europe, it appears
The US market for online gambling may be worth billions, but it
is not worth fighting for seems to be the conclusion reached by
the British trade association the Remote Gaming Association this
week.
According to a report in E-Gaming Review, the Association has admitted
that it refused to put its weight behind the moves this week by
Congressman Barney Frank to put forward legislation to regulate
online gaming in the United States.
EGR claims the refusal came despite meetings and discussions taking
place in the months running up to this week’s announcement
on the introduction of Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation and
Enforcement Act of 2007.
Clive Hawkswood, chief executive at the RGA, told EGR that the
organisation and its members were not interested in becoming “heavily
involved” in the recent lobbying effort.
He added: “That is for a mix of reasons. Some companies have
never been involved in the US. Others meanwhile have left the US
alone and are concentrating elsewhere. Some are worried about what
their share price reaction would be.”
The RGA represents the majority of major online operators in the
UK.
Hawkswood was responding to accusations from sources close to the
lobbying effort in the US that the RGA had failed to show any enthusiasm
for this week’s moves. “These guys have got to come
to the table,” said the source. “There is a lot of upside
here if they do.”
However, Hawkswood suggested the suspicion was that any regulation
would effectively be in favour of US casino operators. He added:
“Do we think our involvement could tip the scales? No. Look
at it from the opposite angle. Did US involvement in the lobbying
effort for the UK supercasino help at all? Or was it rather a hindrance?”
A spokesperson at Ladbrokes said of the consensus against getting
involved: “It’s a question of priorities and resources.
There is movement in Europe at the moment, with the EU behind us,
so that is what we are concentrating on.”
Another spokesperson at a leading operator added: “There
may come a time to step on the gas once again in the US –
but that time is not now.”
Perhaps it is this sort of negative approach that helped create
the right climate for Senator Bill Frist to manouevre the UIGEA
into being in the first place....
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