10 Oct 2005 news piece entitled Casinos commission for the UK

British officials are hoping that the recent creation of an online casinos-related Gambling Commission, which took over from the Gaming Board of Great Britain on October 1, 2005, will provide a model for online gambling regulation all over the world, and proponents of online casinos gambling are sure to have high hopes for a similar commission in the U.S. Currently, only online sports betting companies are permitted to base their servers in the United Kingdom, but following the establishment of online casinos licensing conditions and codes of conduct and practice it is fully expected that online casinos and gambling sites of all stripes and colors will be allowed to base their casinos and online gambling servers in the British Isles.

The casinos Gambling Commission was established following passage of the UK Gambling Act of 2005. Peter Dean, Chairman of the new Online Gambling Commission, said recently that "This is an exciting time for the online casinos industry, and I would encourage all those who have its welfare at heart to share your views and get involved. The Commission is currently working on the online gambling company license conditions, and codes of practice which will be relevant to the online casinos gambling sector. We will be consulting on drafts of these conditions and codes early next year."

"The Gambling Commission's success or failure will certainly provide a barometer to how such a similar venture could be undertaken in the United States," stated one online gambling industry observer based overseas. "American officials are loathe to legalize online casinos for fear of unregulated mass promotion and gambling, even while they tolerate gambling at casinos in certain areas, like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or on Native American Indian reservations. This Gambling Commission has hopes of online casinos enthusiasts riding on it that it will inspire the U.S. government to institute a similar commission in the future."