Greece Considering Ban on Electronic Gambling
A bill was submitted in late May to the Greek parliament that would halt all forms of electronic gambling in the country.
Nikos Christodoulakis, the minister of finance, proposed the bill, which would ban slot machines, Internet gambling and games that can be played on computers in public areas such as cafes and arcades.
Penalties for violating the proposed law would be a minimum three-month prison term and a fine of 5,000 euros.
No date has been set for consideration of the bill. Five months ago, a scandal involving unlicensed slot machines damaged the reputations of some of the country's leaders.
Federal Court Rules Against Jupiters
The Federal Court of Australia issued a ruling on Monday that will put an end to Jupiters' appeals concerning a tax deduction.
The Court ruled that the Australian Taxation Office can disallow certain rental deductions that Jupiters claimed. On advice from legal experts, Jupiters won't appeal the decision, the company said.
The Australian gaming company's total legal bill resulting from case will be AU $12.2 million, AU $2.2 million more than the company had set aside to pay for it.
Victorian Gaming Office Under Investigation
New allegations of misconduct have been made against the Victorian Office of Gambling Regulation.
The state ombudsman is investigating allegations that the office's senior-level management shredded documents and tried to cover up alleged violations of gaming laws. In early June, the ombudsman discovered that Victoria's gaming regulations office had accepted US $200,000 from IGT, an American gaming machine manufacturer that the office was investigating.
The Victorian opposition's shadow gaming minister, Ted Baillieu, said the office's integrity has been harshly damaged since this is the "third or fourth" investigation into its conduct in the last year. He called Gaming Minister John Pandazopoulos a "joke."
"It's an outrage, it's a scandal that the government can't hide from this forever," he said.
Rules Change for Wireless Internet in UK
The United Kingdom's newly appointed e-commerce minister, Stephen Timms, on June 10 announced new regulations that will open up parts of the radio spectrum to be used by telecommunications companies.
Timms' decree will allow telecoms to use the spectrum without having to get a Wireless Telegraphy Act license. The changes take effect July 31.
Under the amended regulations, wireless local area networks (WLANs) will be able to be operated on a commercial basis for public use. Previously they had only been available for private use.
Because of the changes, telecoms will be able to offer short-range broadband services like fast Internet access for laptop users in places such as airports.
E-signatures to be Usable in Poland by August
Legal electronic signatures are expected to become a reality in Poland in August.
Last October, a digital signatures act was signed by the country's president. This month, the Polish Ministry of the Economy composed regulations to govern the usage of electronic signatures and submitted them for interpartmental approval.
Under the proposed regulations, people who want to use an electronic signature will have to apply for a verification certificate that will give the electronic signature the same authority as a signature that has been written by hand.
Niue Ends Offshore Banking Licensing
Niue's Legislative Assembly in June repealed its laws relating to banking licenses in connection with its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's blacklist. Niue was removed from the blacklist in April after signing a commitment letter.
The former premier, Sani Lakatana, had pledged that the banking laws would be repealed by the parliament on March 7 so that the country could be dropped from the blacklist. However, when a bank license holder threatened legal action, the process slowed.
"We have some concerns with respect to some of the licenses, and we have had to ensure that we don't place ourselves in a position where license holders may bring action against us," said Togia Sioneholo, the island's solicitor general.
The country's new premier, Young Vivian, has said that transparency and accountability will be a priority in the future.