Asian Online Gambling Experts Call For Legalisation
Published: Saturday, July 02, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
ASIAN ONLINE GAMBLING EXPERTS CALL FOR LEGALISATION
Singapore : online gambling takes the spotlight at the Asian Casinos Expo.
Industry experts at the Asian Casinos Expo in Singapore say that governments in
the region should legalise and regulate the online gambling industry, which is worth
between US$50-$60 billion a year.
The demand for online gaming in the region is huge and will continue to grow,
whether it is legalised or not, they say.
"Over the years people have estimated the market in Asia to be worth between
US$50 billion to US$60 billion a year, which is a huge number. What I can say
is, that number will continue to grow dramatically over the coming years. I would
expect it to double every year over the next 4 to 5 years within Asia," said
Tim Levene, CEO of Intellilogica.
Hong Kong may have instituted a law making online gaming illegal but for most
Asian countries, it is a grey area.
Industry players say Asian governments should look at regulating and legalising
online gaming.
Said Levene: "I don't think they have a choice, the internet has no borders.
And if Government feel that by prohibiting internet gambling, they can restrict
it, then they are really not looking at the true picture. Internet gambling is
growing at well over 100 percent a year. The number of customers is going to grow
considerably over the next 20 to 30 years. The government must recognise this,
regulate it and benefit from these revenues that currently are seeping outside
of their borders everyday."
With the growth of internet broadband in Asia, some online casinos have moved
up a gear to a more interactive format.
They are now employing 'live' video streaming with a real dealer in a studio setting.
Peter Kjaer, CEO of Ho Gaming Solutions, Macau said: "As we move forward,
more and more people will adapt the 'live' dealer concept with a web-cam type
of real game. That's because it's comforting for the player to know that it is
a real game, not a machine."
Ho Gaming Solutions has spent millions on its online gaming site that is seen
as a complementary but very important part of its overall casino business.
