The Secretary of State
for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) James Purnell
has laid the proposal before Parliament today in a bid to crack
down on rogue gambling operators.
The ban will cover some big name gambling websites which are
based in banned countries, such as William Hill Casino, Betfred
Casino and Littlewoodscasino.com.
"I make no apology for banning adverts for websites operating
from places that don't meet our strict standards," said Purnell.
"Protection is my number one priority."
The ban will apply to all forms of gambling advertising
including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, taxis, buses,
the tube and some websites. If operators, publishers, broadcasters
and advertising companies accept adverts they could face fines or
prison, said the DCMS.
The DCMS said that it had asked all countries which hosted
gambling sites to apply to be 'white listed', which means that DCMS
would look at its regulations and decide whether to permit sites
based there to advertise.
Only two of the regions which applied to be white listed,
Alderney and the Isle of Man, were approved. "Only Alderney and the
Isle of Man were able to demonstrate that they had in place a
rigorous licensing regime designed to stop children gambling,
protect vulnerable people, keep games fair and keep out crime,"
said a DCMS statement.
"The fact that only Alderney and the Isle of Man have been able
to meet the high standards demanded by our white listing criteria
shows how tough the Gambling Act is. Indeed white listing has
actually helped drive up regulatory standards in some countries,"
said Purnell.
"The Isle of Man, for example, has made significant improvements
to their regulatory regime in order to secure a place on the white
list. This includes requiring all licensees to make contributions
to problem gambling research, education and treatment in line with
requirement on UK operators," he said.
Amongst the most popular countries for hosting gambling websites
are Antigua, Costa Rica, Canadian reservation Kanawake and
Netherlands Antilles.
