Canada chided for online gaming Report says global regulation needed We're world's No. 3 Net-gambling host Nov. 6, 2006. 06:34 AM TARA PERKINS BUSINESS REPORTER It appears Canada is going to come under pressure to outline a stance on online gambling as Britain pushes countries around the world to regulate, while the United States moves toward outlawing it. Canada — specifically the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake, outside Montreal — is the third-biggest host to online gambling sites in the world, according to research commissioned by the British government. The U.K.'s secretary of state for culture, media and sport, Tessa Jowell, released the report in conjunction with "the first ever online gambling summit," which she hosted outside of London last week. She was seeking international support for standards of regulation over the online gambling industry. According to a spokesperson at the British ministry of culture, a representative from Quebec attended the summit but Canada did not participate at the federal level. An official with the federal department of justice has suggested that online gambling is not currently a priority issue. Proponents of regulation argue that the rules would bring in taxes and that, rather than prohibit online gambling, governments should keep the industry above board so that minors would be restricted and gamblers could have more faith that sites are safe and secure. Those in favour of prohibition argue that Internet gambling is currently drawing in the underaged, gambling addicts and organized crime. According to the report, online gambling has more than doubled in the last five years. "This research shows that online gambling is on the rise and there is a need to do something about this at a global level, as well as in the U.K.," Jowell said. "However good the new regime will be in the U.K. for online gambling, it might not be as effective if overseas websites simply ignore the high standards we have set," John Carr, new technology adviser for children's charity NCH, stated in a press release from Jowell's office complete story here: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...le&cid=1162770306640&call_pageid=968350072197
