by Leigh Phillips
The British government hopes to introduce internet gambling regulations for the first time as part of its broader revamping of gambling law in the country.
The government's new Gambling Bill, to be fast-tracked through Parliament, establishes a new gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission, which is to be given a range of powers to investigate, prosecute, enter premises, seize goods, void bets, levy unlimited fines and remove gambling licenses.
In particular, the bill introduces compulsory age checks for gambling websites based in the UK.
However, online gambling firms have reacted negatively to the proposed law, saying that underage internet gambling is the result of banks issuing too many debit cards to customers under the age of 18.
