No Chance Of Prohibition In The U.S. This Year
Published: Thursday, April 06, 2006 Online-Casinos.com
NO CHANCE OF PROHIBITION IN THE U.S. THIS YEAR
Industry exec says it's not going to happen as opposition to US banning attempts grows
The CEO of BetonSports, David Carruthers has added his opinion to that of 888.com boss John Anderson, saying that attempts to ban online gambling in the United States will again fail this year.
Carruthers, who recently jousted in the Wall Street Journal on the subject with banning politician James Leach, told Reuters this week he expects recent attempts by U.S. lawmakers to stamp out Internet gambling to fail and instead sees Web wagering legalised in a few years.
"I would be very, very, very surprised if any of these bills get any longer lifeline than the month of July," Carruthers told Reuters in a phone interview, noting that previous efforts by lawmakers to ban Internet gambling had failed.
However, Carruthers admitted that if the bills were to pass, "...they will inhibit growth, and it will be a shock to the system."
U.S. gamblers represent about 45 percent of the total online gaming market, which is projected to grow to about $22 billion in the next four years from about $12 billion now, Carruthers said.
Carruthers said he expected to see online betting ultimately regulated in the United States in about 3 years. He said provisions in the bills to stop credit cards and other companies from allowing payments for gambling would not have much effect, as some North American banks had been doing that for three years already.
