Sportingbet Chief Executive Nigel Payne has called on the EU and U.K. governments to support European online gaming sites now that the United States has passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
In an interview today with BBC radio, Payne called the U.S. policy toward Internet gambling "overt protectionism," adding that while online companies had the technological ability to carry on trading in the U.S., without "tangible support from U.K. government or the EU, carrying on is much more difficult.
"We need [their support] but both the EU and the UK are disappointingly silent on the matter."
The legislation, championed by Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., would effectively eliminate online gambling in the U.S. by cutting it off at the source--payment processors, credit cards and financial institutions. The new law prohibits banks and credit card companies from processing most kinds of online wagers by US citizens.
But Payne does not feel the law will be effective in that way.
He said there are many ways for companies to get around the legislation, adding that banks around the world do not share the same view as U.S. banks do of the industry.
Other industry insiders theorize the industry will respond to the prohibitive measure with rebellious tactics.
"This is a smart industry; there'll be hundreds of workarounds," said Jay Bailey, director of development for the National Right for Online Gambling, a three-month-old entity representing 20,000 online gamblers.