England's leading interactive TV betting provider is pushing for special regulations pertaining to "participation" TV channels.
According to Yogonet.com, SkyBet Managing Director Nick Rust has petitioned the U.K. government to regulate participation television channels (ITV, Quiz Call, et al.) under the U.K. Gambling Act.
Speaking before a Commons select committee, Rust told MPs that participation channels, like gambling, require no element of skill. As such, they should be subject to the same regulations governing non-skill-based gambling (e.g. lotteries).
MPs asked whether Sky was arguing hypocritically, to which Martin Le Jeure, head of public affairs at Sky, responded, "Crocodile tears or not, we have a range of customer protection methods in place."
The Commons select committee's purpose is to audit participation television channels, amid fear that they may foster addiction in vulnerable bettors. Broadcast regulator Ofcom and ICSTIS, the phone line watchdog, later told the committee that "self-regulation, not a change to the law, was the best policy." ITV consumer division chief executive Jeff Henry argued that land-based broadcasters were being as "transparent and responsible as possible."
ITV will reportedly earn $39 million in phone-line revenue in its first year of operation.