Response to the consultation ‘Regulating On-line Gambling in the EU: Recent Developments and Current Challenges from the Internal Market Standpoint'

This is a collaborative submission from a group of academics based in the UK with expertise in information technology law and related areas. The preparation of this response has been funded by the Information Technology Think Tank, which is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by the SCRIPT/AHRC Centre for Research in Intellectual Property and Technology, University of Edinburgh. This response has been prepared by Abhilash Nair and Dinusha Mendis

Demographic analysis of Chinese gamblers’ perceptions of e-marketing mix elements adopted by online casinos

The Internet explosion has revolutionized numerous industries, making online shopping and auctions into profitable business sectors. An increasingly important market sector is the casino industry. The profile and popularity of gambling on an internet casino is evolving rapidly, with the online gambling business seeing significant growth in Europe, Asia and South America. In China, there are twice as many online gamblers as there are Internet shoppers. In this study, the Chinese gamblers’ perceptions of e-marketing mix elements offered by online casinos will be analyzed. The purpose is : i) to investigate the popular e-marketing tools supported by existing online casinos; ii) to evaluate the demographic effect on Chinese gamblers’ perceptions of e-marketing mix elements. The results can provide a market reference for investors in online casinos

Online gambling and crime: a sure bet?

Despite a growing body of research that is exploring the deleterious social effects of online gambling, there has, to date, been very little empirical research into internet gambling and crime. This paper seeks to initiate discussion and exploration of the dimensions of crime in and around internet gambling sites through an analysis of the current literature on gambling online. The paper forms part of a wider study that seeks to examine online gambling related crime and identify appropriate legal, technological and educational frameworks through which to limit victimisation

The Time Is Now: Why the United States Should Adopt the British Model of Sports Betting Legislation

Gambling has been the subject of controversy since its inception. While some claim that it is a “gentleman’s game” and a means of social entertainment, others argue that it is a sinful endeavor that enables corruption, scandal, and addiction. Today, there are several different types of gambling that occur in the United States—all with varying degrees of legality and regulation. For example, betting on horse racing is legal throughout the United States, and state-sanctioned lotteries are present in forty-four of fifty states.3 Commercial casinos, like those in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, are regulated on a state-by-state basis, and gambling on card games is legal in over twenty states (and counting). This Note focuses on betting in professional sports, which is more tightly con-trolled than any of the other games of chance. With the prevalence of daily fantasy sports and the tentative merger between its two largest providers, FanDuel and DraftKings, sports betting has been at the forefront of the news as it relates to gaming law. The United States has taken a strict regulatory approach toward sports betting, which is inconsistent with its stance toward other types of gambling, such as slot machines, horse racing, lotteries, and, most recently, daily fantasy sports. On the other side of the Atlantic, the United Kingdom has taken a drastically different approach. According to a study on gam-bling prevalence conducted in 2010, over seventy-three percent of the British population have engaged in some form of gambling. While there were certainly issues of concern with the legalization of sports betting, the U.K. Parliament believed it would be counterintuitive to outright prohibit a multi-billion dollar industry, especially one with overwhelming participation by a majority of the population. Part I of this Note examines the history of sports betting and discusses its origins and the motivations behind the legislation in both countries, such as notorious betting scandals in professional sports. Part II reviews the federal framework currently in place in the United States by surveying the history and implementation of the Wire Act and discussing the legislative history and subsequent enactment of PASPA. Part II also considers one of the latest attacks on these laws by state governments. Part III analyzes the sports betting landscape in the United Kingdom by reviewing the history of sports betting internationally and presenting a discussion of the laws that regulate legal sports gambling in the United Kingdom. Part III also examines the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960—the first major change in the United Kingdom’s betting policy—and reviews the Gambling Act of 2005 (on which this Note intends to base its model). Part IV proposes that the United States should adopt the U.K. model of sports betting legislation, wherein Congress should follow the lead set by the U.K. Parliament, and dis-cusses the economic benefits of a legalized sports betting industry. This Note concludes that the United States should set up a gaming commission and legalize sports betting nationwide, while regulating it to protect against corruption

Impact of gambling technologies in a multi-media world

In many countries there appears to be a slow shift from gambling being taken out of gambling environments and into the home and the workplace. Historically, what we have witnessed is a shift from destination resorts (such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City) to individual gaming establishments in most major cities (e.g., betting shops, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls). More recently there has been a large increase in single site gambling opportunities (e.g., slot machines in non-gaming venues, lottery tickets sold in mainstream retail outlets), to gambling from home or work (e.g., Internet gambling, i-TV gambling)

Motivating and inhibiting factors in online gambling behaviour: a grounded theory study

To date, there has been very little empirical research examining why people gamble online or – just as importantly – why they do not gamble online. A grounded theory study examining the motivating and inhibiting factors in online gambling was carried out. The sample comprised 15 online gamblers, 14 offline gamblers, and 11 non-gamblers, and resulted in the identification of one major theme as to why participants were motivated to gamble online (i.e., greater opportunity to gamble) and four sub-themes (i.e., convenience, value for money, the greater variety of games, and anonymity). The main reason that inhibited online gambling was that the authenticity of gambling was reduced when gambling online. Four further sub-themes were identified as inhibitors of online gambling (i.e., the reduced realism, the asocial nature of the internet, the use of electronic money, and concerns about the safety of online gambling websites). Results also indicated that the participants’ perception was that online gambling was more addictive than offline gambling and that online gambling would exacerbate gambling problems in society

Internet gambling: issues, concerns, and recommendations.

The influence of technology in the field of gambling innovation continues to grow at a rapid pace. After a brief overview of gambling technologies and deregulation issues, this review examines the impact of technology on gambling by highlighting salient factors in the rise of Internet gambling (i.e., accessibility, affordability, anonymity, convenience, escape immersion/ dissociation, disinhibition, event frequency, asociability, interactivity, and simulation). The paper also examines other factors in relation to Internet gambling including the relationship between Internet addiction and Internet gambling addiction. The paper ends by overviewing some of the social issues surrounding Internet gambling (i.e., protection of the vulnerable, Internet gambling in the workplace, electronic cash, and unscrupulous operators). Recommendations for Internet gambling operators are also provided

Crime and gambling: a brief overview of gambling fraud on the Internet.

Although there is an association between crime and gambling there is relatively little information and research on the topic. One area that appears to have become more prevalent over the last five years is that of fraudulent gambling activities on the Internet. This paper briefly outlines how many frauds and scams have moved into technological media such as the Internet and overviews a number of these including: (i) lottery scams, (ii) fake gambling site scams, (iii) betting software scams, (iv) gambling ‘bonus’ scams, (v) ‘twofer’ scams, and (vi) prize scams. It is concluded that gambling fraud on the Internet is a growth area because many gamblers themselves want to get a huge reward from a small outlay (just as the fraudsters do). As long as there are people who are prepared to risk money on chance events, there will be those out there who will want to fraudulently take their money from them. Given the complete lack of empirical data on these fraudulent practices, there is a need for research to be initiated in this newly emerging area of criminological concern