Finnish Social Affairs Ministry Drafts New Age-Limit Proposal
Finland's Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has drafted a proposal to raise the country's minimum age requirements for gambling, both on and offline, from 15 to 18. According to Ismo Tuominen, a ministry official, the proposal is a watershed in the ministry's legislative history, as the effort is the first move on record to raise the age limit. Kimmo Hakonen, the country's deputy national police commissioner, confirmed with the news source that the Ministry of the Interior is set to establish a working group to examine the proposal.
UK DCMS Blackballs 1,000 I-Gaming Sites
The U.K. Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on Aug. 9 said that roughly 1,000 gambling Web sites operating out of non-white-listed jurisdictions will not be allowed to advertise in the United Kingdom under the Gambling Act 2005, effected Sept. 1.
Currently only two jurisdictions based outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), Alderney and the Isle of Man, have been white listed.
Subsequently, several companies, included Netherlands Antilles-based William Hill, Betfred, Intercasino and Littlewoods Casino, announced plans to move their online gambling operations to jurisdictions within so-called white-listed territories before the implementation of the U.K. gambling ad ban.
Beijing Police to Troll the Net
On Sept. 1, the Beijing police launched its Internet-based cartoon incarnation to steer Chinese browsers away from illegal Net content. The animated police officers will walk, bike or drive across the screen every 30 minutes on 13 of China's most popular portals, including Sohu and Sina. By the end of the year, however, the avatars will appear on all Web sites registered on Beijing servers, the Beijing Public Security Ministry said. China stringently polices the Internet for material and content that the ruling Communist Party finds politically or morally threatening. Despite the controls, the presence of nudity, profanity, illegal gambling and pirated music, books and film has proliferated on Chinese Internet servers.
ATP Institutes Zero-Tolerance Gambling Policy
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has instituted a zero-tolerance policy regarding gambling following an investigation into possible match fixing on a recent match between Russian star Nikolay Davydenko and Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello. Executive chairman Etienne de Villiers said penalties for ATP players being caught involved in gambling on the sport would be subject to fines up to US$100,000 and a lifetime ban.