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The first independent gambling guide to the best online
casinos!
Online Casinos Convene and Say they
want to be legitimate
The top players in the
online casino industry have recently said that they want to go
legitimate, and the world’s top online casinos executives have convened
in Montreal to make online casinos a much more respected, and
respectable business.
For years now, especially in the past few months with controversies
surrounding regulation and gambling addiction, online casinos have been
badmouthed as illegitimate and a hazard on the world wide web. But
online casinos leaders and executives are meeting in Montreal, Canada
this week at the sixth Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo and
hope to make self regulation of the online casinos industry the main
theme to tie together the talks.
The goal is to regulate the $12 billion dollar online casinos market
before politicians can.
"We're not in this to make a quick buck," said Roger Raatgever, chief
executive of one of the top software developers for online casinos, with
headquarters located in the Isle of Man. "We want this to be a
sustainable, credible industry," he added.
Thousands of online casinos operate in legal limbo. Some online casinos
are run form island havens but marketed to countries where online
casinos are outlawed, for example. One of the top online casinos, Golden
Palace, known for many publicity stunts and marketing promotions, is
hosted in Kahnawake, for example, a major online casinos jurisdiction.
The reserve declares itself a sovereign territory, and therefore is
immune to any Canadian laws, thus online casinos set up there.
Gambling critic Sol Soxenbaum says the Kahnawake grey zone is one reason
the online casinos convention was held in Canada.
"If it was held in the U.S. the FBI would round them all up and arrest
them," said the president of Viva Consulting, a lobby group for problem
gamblers. "If we can have a conference in Canada where online gambling
is illegal, that sends a very strong message about our values."
Police authorities have claimed for years to be investigating the casino
server farms in Kahnawake, but have taken no action.
"They just don't have the desire to have another confrontation,"
Soxenbaum said.
Governments in other jurisdictions have been poring over ways to stop
online gambling, claiming it's filled with credit-card fraud and
underage betting.
Industry-appointed watchdogs, like eCOGRA, already exist to ensure
online gambling portals are both trustworthy and accountable.
Raatgever said this self-regulating trend can both stem government
encroachment and build a strong industry reputation by shedding light on
its nature.
"This is an incredibly complex business," Raatgever said. "You have
e-commerce, cross-border issues and gaming all rolled into one."
Online gambling is expected to double by 2010. The industry sees it as a
matter of time until governments give in and accept online gambling as a
reality. Britain has, Raatgever said, and is set to legalize gambling
next year.
The American Gaming Association has recently called for a study to see
if online gambling can be legalized and regulated in the United States.
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