 Global Unions
Urge For Responsible Gaming at Online Casinos
Online casinos have proliferated in the past few
years at an electrifying pace and to an extent where the
internet gambling industry is now over a $12 billion dollar a
year venture. But the UN Gaming Global Union is keeping a keen
eye on online casinos and the developments within the online
casinos industry and has called for responsible gaming across
the world.
The UN Union also opposes the growth of unregulated online
casinos that lower the threshold for gambling. Silvina Martinez
of ALEARA Argentina chaired the meeting in Nyon, Switzerland and
called for a dialogue to be built with the top executives and
leaders of online casinos in the industry.
Union leaders are concerned with the online casinos industry and
want to make sure that online casinos are not places where
criminals can money launder and well as places where teens
became addicted as under age gamblers illegally.
Discussing online casinos, Martinez said, "Unions are major
players in the industry and we have to ensure that the sector is
responsible and complies with the law. We need to protect
against money laundering, we need to ensure tables are monitored
to ensure that illegal activities cannot take place."
Martinez’s union is working in Argentina with projects to help
compulsive gamblers and is urging lawmakers there to force
gaming halls to put up warnings about addiction. She said, “We
need to be at the forefront of the fight against compulsive
gambling - we need to support projects for gamblers and the
family. We have to make sure that treatment is available.”
Martinez wants more training for gaming staff who are going to
encounter players with the addiction. But it is often hard to
monitor addiction at online casinos because of the secrecy and
privacy of the business. According to the union, there are
thousands of internet gambling portals worldwide and turnover is
expected to reach $10 billion by 2010. Bernhard Stracke of
Germany urged the union to reject online casinos because of
their bad social effects. Online casinos are banned in many
countries, including the United States, Switzerland, and
Australia.
The resolution highlights the dangers of becoming addicted to
online casinos and under age betting from home, and the 24 hour
a day, 7 day a week access that online casinos afford. Some
credit card companies already refuse to deal with online casinos
because of payment problems.
"You can ruin your family simply sitting at home and playing on
the Internet," said Germano Medici, of FISASCAT CISL Italy.
"It's a problem for the industry but we have to involve
governments as well."
Jean Claude Fagnant of SETCa in Belgium added, “We need to have
regulation of all forms of gaming, not just on casinos.” Many of
the speakers at the union meetings warned of problems caused by
unregulated slot machines. These slot machines are often
installed at bars or restaurants.
Still, the debate will go on about regulating the internet
gambling industry.
|
