Britain's culture secretary sought to build support among dozens of nations -- but not the US -- for improved regulation of the global Internet gaming industry on Tuesday at an international summit for the sector.
Officials from more than 30 countries debated regulation measures just weeks after the US effectively banned online gambling and amid fears it could exploit children and encourage criminal activity.
Jowell said that a regulated Internet gaming industry would offer gamblers better protection than the US decision to outlaw the practice.
"Remote gambling has gone from a niche to mass market in a matter of years," Jowell told journalists during a break in the gathering, the first summit to discuss the global impact of Internet gaming. "There is a recognition that it is in the interests of all our citizens that we move to a framework of global standards on Internet gaming."
However, US officials declined an invitation to take part in the talks at the Ascot race course outside London.
Officials from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and online jurisdictions such as Malta, Costa Rica and Antigua and Barbuda attended the session.
British Sports Minister Richard Caborn said after the session that he was pleased with the progress officials had made.
"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," he said.
Delegates discussed the text of a draft communique and were taking it back to their governments, he said, adding that Britain planned to seek confirmation of the governments' agreement in the coming weeks.
Those present also agreed to propose an expert working group on Internet gambling, which would include representatives of the countries at the conference and international bodies like UNESCO and report back by the middle of next year, Caborn said.
The US Congress caught the gaming industry by surprise when it added a provision to a bill aimed at improving port security to make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to settle payments to online gambling sites. US President George W. Bush signed it into law on Oct. 14.
The decision closed the most lucrative region in a market worth US$15.5 billion this year in "spend" value -- the amount gambling companies win from their clients, or the amount gamblers lose.
Jowell likened the US decision to a new form of the 1920s Prohibition on alcohol, warning that it would drive the industry underground.
PartyGaming PLC, the industry's largest company, said Jowell's proposal were more sensible than a ban.
"You've got to protect the vulnerable, including children, insure fair play and drive any mavericks out," spokesman John Shepherd said in a telephone interview. "Prohibition ... won't stop people from gambling, and it will strip away protection for consumers as easily as flame thrower removes paint from a wall."
PartyGaming, once the envy of online gambling with its more than US$8 billion IPO last year, is now trying to figure out how to save its business model. It runs what was once the world's biggest poker site, PartyPoker, and has said it will no longer take payments from the US, eliminating nearly 80 percent of its revenue and sending its stock plunging.
The draft communique from Tuesday's meeting noted concerns surrounding the industry, including its vulnerability to misuse for criminal activity and its threat to children.
The communique proposed the use of age and customer verification tools to protect young people and the vulnerable. It also called for ongoing communication between national jurisdictions through the International Association of Gambling Regulators.
Antigua in particular is engaged in a strong defense of Internet gaming, one of the tiny Caribbean state's few economic success stories.
It argues that the US ban is in direct contravention to a ruling by the WTO last year that the US amend some of its legislation to permit Antiguan gaming operations to offer their services to US citizens on a level playing field.
Mark Mendel, who leads Antigua's WTO legal team, said he hopes that a closer relationship with Britain will develop stronger support for the ongoing WTO case as well as opening up opportunities for Antiguan licensed companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Several London-listed Internet gaming companies and a handful in Europe and Australia sold off or shut down their US operations after the ban, losing around 80 percent of their combined business in the process.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft