20th August 2001 - issue 6

You may be aware that the Government has commissioned the biggest review of the gambling laws since the current Gaming Act was passed in 1968. Chaired by Sir Alan Budd, The Gambling Review Body has recently published its recommendations. The Budd Report as it has become known recommends some fairly significant changes. The headline grabbers were the changes to the casino laws which would enable Blackpool to reposition itself as the UK 's answer to Las Vegas . Of less interest to the media, but of huge significance to the betting industry was the proposal to allow betting shops to have up to four jackpot (£1 stake, £500 prize) fruit machines. As more and more punters are tempted by the superior odds available on the bookie free sites, these could be a key factor in the long term survival of the High Street bookies.

The Budd Report also recommended that online casinos be licensed to operate from the UK . These will be closely regulated and will display a kite mark as a guarantee of integrity and quality. So far as bookie free betting goes you have to look very closely before you find paragraphs 19.41 and 19.42 which makes recommendations relating to "Betting Brokers" as they have been described. As part of the recent changes to General Betting Duty betting brokers were brought within the scope of the Gross Profits tax. Presumably the sites intend to absorb the cost of this tax, as there has been no mention of increased charges to cover these costs. The Budd Report goes further than this when it comments:

"It is clear that they are in fact offering a gambling product. In these circumstances it is right that punters should be confident about their financial stability. We recommend that betting brokers should be licensed and regulated in the same way as bookmakers."
I feel this has got to be a positive step forward for all of us including the sites themselves. So far as I am concerned the more sites there are the better but when a new one comes along how do you know whether you are safe to use it? This should give us all the security we need to use new sites without concerns.

It should be remembered that these are just recommendations, and it may take some considerable time before they become law, if indeed they ever do.