Internet gambling firms seek voice on regulation and tax writes Abigail Townsend. (
independant)
The online gaming industry is hoping to meet the Government later this year in a high-level summit to thrash out regulation of the sector and how to encourage operators to move their businesses onshore.
Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, announced earlier this year that a meeting to discuss the sector would be held in the autumn.
A DCMS spokesman said the list of who it was going to invite had not yet been finalised, and that no date had been set, but confirmed it would be mainly politicians.
However, Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of industry group Business in Sport and Leisure (BiSL), said she was optimistic that the meeting would be widened to include representatives from the industry.
"The problem we have got is how to get people to act responsibly and set up some sort of Gambling Commission kitemark. It's also about how we sort out the fiscal tax part to ensure that the gaming companies do come onshore.
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Internet gambling firms seek voice on regulation and tax Gamblog Comment - Sooner or later, regulation will come in some form or another for online gambling, whether that be a kitemark or whatever.
The question is - will it be a whitewash? Will the games be proofed to the public for fairness?
Civil servants in charge of regulating and overseeing online gambling - is it odds on online gamblers will have less of a voice, while the casino bosses gain a louder one? - you bet!