Trinidad and Tobago May Ban I-Gaming
According to Yogonet.com, the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago will crack down on Internet gambling, having already banned casino slot machines after Prime Minister Patrick Manning said they "encouraged vice." At his budget proposal meeting last week, Manning called gambling-related activities "a great concern" for the country and announced his plans discontinue the country's national lottery. As of today, no timetable for the Net gambling ban has been announced. The announcement came shortly after U.S. President George W. Bush signed off on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.
Guernsey to Update Gambling Policy
The Island of Guernsey's Home Department wants to update its gambling legislation and is asking islanders to have their say. The department, which oversees gambling licensing and regulation for the jurisdiction, has released a consultation paper also recommending higher license fees for bookmakers, who will incidentally be allowed to advertise for the first time and be open on Sundays. Online gambling, amusement arcades and slot machines are all excluded from the paper, which says safeguards will be put in place to ensure gambling addiction does not become a problem.
ECJ: Greece Must Lift Electronic Games Ban
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Greece should lift its four-year ban on electronic games because it violates EU laws. The Greek government in July 2002 instituted a ban on all electronic games, including arcade games that don't involve betting. In October 2005, the ECJ submitted a case against the Greek law, calling it disproportionate on the basis that it applies to games that don't threaten consumers or the public.
US ISPs Could Be Required to Record Customer Information
FBI Director Robert Mueller has called on U.S. Internet service providers to record and store records of their customers' online activities because "terrorists coordinate their plans cloaked in the anonymity of the Internet, as do violent sexual predators prowling chat rooms." Speaking at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference on Oct. 17 in Boston, Mueller said the government needs to find a balance between the legitimate need for privacy and law enforcement's clear need for access. While legislators did not manage to enact such a measure before breaking for mid-term elections, it is expected to surface in early 2007, and one Democratic politician has already promised legislation.
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., has announced plans to introduce legislation this spring that would force ISPs to record customer information for one year. She said she is working with Republican Reps. Ed Whitfield, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and Joe Barton, chairman of the full committee, to finalize the bill's language.
Mexican Policymakers Challenge Casino Licensing Regs
Mexican legislators from the opposing parties are calling for an investigation into the special commission in charge of granting casino licenses in the country. The Directive Commission of the House of Legislators is also trying to come to terms on how to ask the National Supreme Court (SCJN) to resolve the constitutional controversy presented more than two years ago by federal deputies against the head of the federal government. The nature of the controversy argues that the regulation issued by the federal government for the operation of gambling and draws infringed on the existing gambling legislation and caused the proliferation of gambling centers and the incursion of draws, raffles and bets on television. The deputies are calling for a ruling from the SCJN.