[jimmym]

Back on track..

Some news from the Summit. I honestly didnt read this before the Taxation issue rose on this forum, but its interesting to see the Taxation issues may be the block for a united agreement.I cant help feel with the UK on the verge of a Non Smoking community and seeing that this happened in Eire 2 years ago and there goverment has seen millions missing from the tax smokers paid that now the UK goverment is really trying to introduce backdoor Taxation on gambling knowing its popularity is huge.

Please dont read to much into my smoking theory I dont want a debate on the goods and bads,as a 50 a day smoker I pay huge tax willingly and dread next March when I cant smoke when and were I want in my own Country..enough said on this matter.

BRITISH HOSTS 'PLEASED' WITH ONLINE GAMBLING SUMMIT

But UK minister warns that his government will not protect UK execs from legitimate extradition orders

Delegates from 32 nations at the Remote Gambling Summit held in Ascot, England have established what one of the hosts, sports minister Richard Caborn described as "....a road map that will lead to better regulated remote gambling across the world."

"Those present today agreed to cooperate further in a number of key areas to ensure that gambling remains fair, crime-free and vulnerable people are protected," Caborn told a news conference.

Asked by one reporter what the British government position was on the extradition of British online gambling executives to foreign countries, Caborn said that Britain would not protect UK online gaming executives from extradition requests if they took Internet bets from countries in which they were illegal.

"People have to abide by the laws of particular countries," he said. "We will not acknowledge people who operate illegally."

Earlier, the British culture secretary Tessa Jowell had been critical on the prohibition course taken by the USA on Internet gambling, asserting her belief that regulation was the better option to exclude crime and protect online players and vulnerable sectors of the community such as the under aged and addicted.

"We do not support the approach the United States has taken," she said at the summit. "The enormous risk of prohibition is that it forces the industry underground," she said, likening the move to the U.S. ban on alcohol sales in the 1920s.

The conference agreed a draft framework of regulation to protect consumers and prevent underage gambling and gambling addiction.

After the summit closed, Caborn said he was pleased with the progress made, and wanted to involve wider international institutions, including UNESCO and the global financial sector.

The summit ended without formal agreement over minimum international standards for internet gambling. A government source denied that this amounted to failure.

“We never expected to get everyone on board in a day and we are delighted that everyone is keen to work together in future. They are arguing over commas, and the final version will not be very different from today’s draft.”

Richard Caborn, the Sports Minister, who, along with Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, was trying to secure agreement, said that an international working group would be set up. “We now have in place a road map for that will lead to better regulated remote gambling across the world. Those present today agreed to co-operate further in a number of key areas to ensure that gambling remains fair, crime-free, and vulnerable people are protected.

“We will follow this up with proposals for an expert working group representative of those countries present today. We will want this to involve wider international institutions, including Unesco and the global financial sector, to advise on the development of worldwide standards.”

Caborn said Britain was sympathetic to a complaint made by Antigua to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) accusing the United States of protectionism of its gambling industry, but he stopped short of saying Britain would support the complaint.

"It will be a landmark decision ... We sympathise in the sense we want the WTO to clear up this area," Caborn said. "Antigua has made it very clear it welcomes the support of the EU in this. We will find out the WTO's position in 2007."

The BBC took the news angle that taxation could flow from online gambling firms relocating to Britain from their various offshore tax havens, and quoted Party Gaming's John Shepherd as saying that the quantum for taxation is the "missing piece in the jigsaw."

But minister Caborn said that regulation was not about a "tax grab", but about protecting British players, preventing the young and vulnerable being sucked into addiction and keeping out organised crime.

The Beeb pointed out that in the borderless world of Internet gambling, where national laws can have only a limited effect, delegates were pinning their hopes on the much more ambitious route of an international agreement based on the principles of the UK legislation.

The broadcaster also examined the possibility of a reversal of the US law against online gambling transactions following a possible change of political direction after the mid-term elections in the USA.

Andrew Gellattelly, of bettingbusiness.co.uk said it was essential to regain the American business if the industry was to continue to grow, and there were hopes that the US could follow the Italian example of flexibility in turning away from prohibition in favour of regulation and taxation.

The ban was part of back-to-basics style package called the American Values Agenda - aimed at helping the Republicans retain control of Congress, he said. If the Republicans succeed, the industry is hoping they will follow Italy's example, he adds, where an initial ban on internet gaming was scrapped in favour of tough regulations.

If the Democrats win, the hope is they will re-think what many of them see as an ill-thought-out and unworkable ban.