Antigua Online Gaming Regulations Amended
Published: Friday, April 06, 2007 Online-Casinos.com
ANTIGUA ONLINE GAMBLING REGULATIONS REVAMPED
Publication due this week
The government of Antigua and Barbuda's Division of Gaming in the Financial Services Regulatory Commission is operating under amended regulations from this week, the result of an extensive review of existing requirements following international consultation. It is anticipated that the revised elements will be published shortly.
The Antigua Sun reports that in February, the FSRC announced that the Directorate of Gaming would conduct an extensive review and overhaul of its regulations with the assistance of Mark Mendel, the government's attorney in the World Trade Organisation gaming dispute which Antigua won, and other consultants.
“That went very, very well. We had a one day symposium last week. We had a very interactive and robust session but at the end of the whole day we came out with very comprehensive regulations," Director of Gaming Kaye MacDonald said. "I think it’s balanced. It keeps in mind national best practices while at the end of the day incorporating the commercial realities of our operators."
McDonald said that the revised regulations were approved by Minister of Finance and the Economy Dr. Errol Cort, who signed off on them last Friday.
“Substantively, the regulations still remain but Antigua & Barbuda, being one of the [regulatory] pioneers within the Internet gaming environment, is always endeavoring to enforce the international best practices and industry standards. The process is always evolving,” she explained.
The division has indicated that the jurisdiction is focusing on tightened control of the Internet gambling industry operating out of Antigua under government licenses, having committed, at the end of the International Gaming Summit held in England last October to uphold core ethical and responsible gaming principles.
