Researcher Urges Class-Action Suits Against Casinos
An Australian scientist warned recently that Australians may follow the lead of Canadians and initiate class-action lawsuits against casinos for furthering gambling addictions, the AAP News reported on Sept. 12.
James Doughney, a senior researcher at the Workplace Studies Centre at Victoria University, said it has been proven beyond doubt that gambling causes psychological and financial harm. In Canada, 125,000 people are involved in a class-action lawsuit against Loto-Quebec. They are seeking CA$625 million in damages.
"I don't see why we (in Australia) wouldn't begin to follow examples in Canada and the U.S. where people with gambling problems litigate against hotels and casinos," Doughney said to AAP. "There is a potential to sue if a business is putting something into the community knowing it will cause harm."
In Victoria, 17 percent of state revenue is from taxes on gambling.
Australia to Tax Spread Betting?
The Australian Taxation Office said last month that spread betting could lose its tax-free status now that it is becoming a popular alternative to share trading.
Michael Carmody, tax commissioner, said the agency is studying the tax issues related to spread betting, which involves betting on whether a given stock, commodity or currency will rise or fall within a certain period of time.
"We will shortly announce an official view to provide clarity to taxpayers," Carmody said.
Thai Officials Speak Out in Favor of Legalized Gambling
More and more government officials in Thailand are supportive of legalizing casinos, the New Straits Times reported recently.
The country's prime minister and national police chief have come out in support of the idea as a way to generate more tax revenue and put an end to illegal gambling, which is reported to be a 400 billion bhat per year industry.
Sant Sarutanout, police chief, said illegal gambling is popular throughout Thailand.
"We cannot tell Thai people to stop gambling," he said. "Even when they are at the barber's having their hair cut, they bet on license plates and banknote numbers. There are underground and mobile gambling dens. We cannot stop them."
Guyana Puzzled Over Restaurant's Casino Games
The government of Guyana is trying to figure out how a local restaurant and bar came to have gaming machines in it.
At the end of August, the BBC reports, Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Manzoor Nadir declared that the Palm Court Restaurant and Bar was never given governmental permission to operate a casino on its premises. The restaurant had began offering gambling two weeks prior to
that.
While the government is denying that it gave the establishment permission to offer gambling services, the commissioner-general of the Guyana Revenue Authority is being asked to
determine how the gaming machines were even allowed in to the country, since gambling is illegal there.
"It is not only flouting the law or breaking the laws, but it is also unfair to other nightclub owners who have been prevented from introducing such machines or gaming machines at their location," Nadir said.
Gaming Revenue to Be Taxable in Israel
An expert on Israeli tax law is warning that gains Israelis make at overseas casinos -- both from gambling wins and income from owning an overseas casino -- will be taxable when new taxation rules are implemented on Jan. 1.
David Goldman, a lawyer, said that under the personal taxation system, all revenue from overseas activities, even those that are illegal in Israel, will be taxable.
Mifal Hapayis, the state lottery operator, reports that NIZ 14 billion per year is spent on illegal gambling in Israel while lotteries and football pools earn about NIS 3.5 billion per year.