Online Gaming Advertising Soaring
An expected surge of advertising across all media -- the Internet, television, radio and print -- will be led by offshore gaming companies, eager to market their services in the U.K., experts said.
Many online casino operators, including PartyGaming and 888 Holdings, are listed in London but incorporated in Gibraltar - and will use the U.K. as a launching board for advertising, rather than seek a domestic British license, it is believed, at this time.
Many in the online casino industry see a proposed 15 percent remote gaming tax for offshore firms, being considered by the House of Commons, offering gaming in the U.K., as too steep. The regulation of online gambling is something of a priority for the soon--to-be outgoing government of Prime Minister Tony Blair, and is viewed similarly by the man likely to be the next prime minister, Gordon Brown, who is the chancellor of the exchequer for the U.K.
The online gambling industry has lobbied, through its trade association, the Remote Gambling Association, for any new tax to be set as low as two percent in order to attract operators from overseas to enter the British tax and regulatory regime. After the budget proposal, released just last week by Whitehall, the industry group's chairman, John Coates, was very critical of the U.K. government.
Increasing Wagers
British gamblers, however, continue to increase their online wagers, and don't seem to be paying attention to the bickering over tax rates.Research published last month by the Gambling Commission -- based in London -- found that eight percent of adults each month bet online, on the phone or through interactive TV services.
Offshore Internet casino groups will be among the most aggressive advertisers, experts said, as European freedom to trade rules give them the ability to advertise anywhere on the continent.
Long-term, though, the U.K. hopes to convince online casino firms to set up shop, so to speak, there.
At a conference on online gambling regulation last year, the Gambling Commission's chairman, Peter Dean, said that "everybody who offers gambling in Britain will be required to be licensed by us. This applies to terrestrial gambling as well as e-gambling."
Online casinos, betting shops and other online gaming sites will legally be able to advertise under the 2005 Gambling Act. That act is also paving the way for the U.K.'s first "super casino" in Manchester, transforming the industrial town into the "Las Vegas of Britain.
The regulatory body that draws up the codes with which all advertisers must comply said recently that "new rules" would ensure the ads remained responsible.
According to Roger Wisbey, the secretary of the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, the changes marked "a significant milestone" in the way betting and gaming could be advertised.
"Although advertisers will enjoy more freedom to advertise their services across the media, the public can be confident they will do so within a stringent framework that requires all ads to be prepared in a socially responsible manner," said Wisbey.
© Copyright 2007 Online Casino Crawler This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|
Las Vegas USA Casino
with over 90 online games |
|
0 Comments
0 Trackbacks
