Internet gaming jurisdictions to be exempt from UK advertising ban
Thursday 9th August 2007
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has admitted the Isle of Man and Alderney onto its ‘White List’ of gaming jurisdictions to be exempt from the impending advertising ban, after they were both found to have satisfactory measures in place to meet the new UK regulatory standards.
The new Regulations, expected to be passed through Parliament today, facilitate new powers in the Gambling Act 2005 to ban gambling adverts from companies operating outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Up to 1,000 online gaming companies are expected to be banned from advertising in the UK come September 1.
Jurisdictions who wanted to be exempt from the ad ban were forced to undergo a stringent assessment of their regulatory standards with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, James Purnell having rejected applications to join the exempted ‘white list’ from Alexander (Canadian Reservation), Netherlands Antilles and Tasmania. Applications from Kahnawake and Antigua are still being considered.
Only Alderney and the Isle of Man were able to demonstrate adequate provisions for the protection of children, vulnerable people, and those for keeping games fair and the prevention of crime.
James Purnell explained, “I make no apology for banning adverts for websites operating from places that don’t meet our strict standards. Protection is my number one priority. 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.
“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.”
The ban will apply to all forms of gambling advertising from excluded jurisdictions including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, some websites as well as advertising on all forms of transport.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will continue to monitor Alderney and the Isle of Man to ensure they continue to meet the white list criteria.
