U.K. ONLINE GAMBLING LICENCE FOR BODOG?
15 February 2008
CEO takes issue with criminality claim
Online gambling group Bodog has applied for a British
operating licence as part of its plans to expand further
into the European market, reports The Guardian.
In an interview with Bodog CEO Calvin Ayre, the
newspaper raised allegations that the gambling group's
substantial activities in the US are criminal. Ayre
rejected the idea, saying: "We have licences from
sovereign governments to do what we do - that's how it
works on every other industry on the planet."
Ayre admitted Bodog took bets from US customers but
claimed the company did not "operate" there.
The Guardian piece recalls that almost all of the online
casino and poker groups targeting British punters have
chosen to boycott the UK regulatory regime because of
the 15 percent remote gaming tax imposed last year by
the UK Treasury.
Bodog is among the few internet gambling groups to have
continued taking bets from US customers after the
enactment there in 2006 of the controversial Unlawful
Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act, which seeks to
disrupt financial transactions between players and
online gambling companies.
To receive the remote casino and general betting
licences for which Bodog has applied, the company must
pass a "fit and proper operator" test. A spokesman for
the Gambling Commission, the industry regulator,
confirmed last night that Bodog applications were still
pending.
Ayre said UK licences would not necessarily be used to
take British bets. He pointed out that Bodog already had
an Antiguan licence, which it is using to establish a
foothold in Europe.
Online Casino News courtesy of
InfoPowa
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