A report by the American Banking Association (ABA) that is negative on the current Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) makes at least three key points on why UIGEA is unenforceable. Quoting from the report:

“(1) the definition of unlawful Internet gambling in the Prohibition leaves the vague definition of the Act uncured and therefore renders compliance virtually impossible;

“(2) the intractable problem of identifying or intercepting cross-border gambling activities and tainted correspondent relationships has not been adequately solved by the proposal; and

“(3) the uncertain standard for knowledge that triggers blocking is too indefinite to be practically operative.”

UK online bingo halls and operators of online bingo games in the US were badly hit by the arrival of UIGEA late in 2006 and, quite frankly, we would all like to see it go away as soon as possible. What the banks are saying through the ABA is that they are very dubious of having to become the virtual police force responsible for enforcing UIGEA. This is what the proposed UIGEA regulations imply will be the case.

For the bingo online industry, it’s quite significant that the financial sector may turn out to be our best bet for a return to the US market and the dismantling of UIGEA. Let’s hope they stick to their guns and continue to resist this destructive piece of legislation.

Written by John Witherspoon – Become a part of a great online bingo community. Play online bingo chat games at BingoStreet.com

The UK Gambling Commission has published its revised technical requirements for online bingo operators and it would probably serve most UK online bingo halls to check these out.  You can find the details by calling the Commission’s helpline on 0121 230 6666 or emailing them at info@gamblingcommission.gov.uk.

The reason we have a Gambling Act 2005 which is enforced by the Gambling Commission is to keep crime out of gambling, ensure gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and protect children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by unscrupulous gambling operators.  The online bingo industry wholeheartedly supports these objectives and, as a result, we have one of the safest and best regulated industries for those who like to play online bingo.

Naturally, it helps if all those involved in providing online bingo games to the UK public take the time to read up on what’s expected of them so that we can continue to enjoy a free and honest industry.

Written by John Witherspoon – How about playing bingo online? The best free online bingo games are just one click away.

As the saying goes, Death and Taxes are the only certainties in life, so I find it interesting that the most recent challenge to the infamous UIGEA law in the US aims at convincing US lawmakers that a regulated and open online gaming industry stands to bring a boom in government tax revenues.

“Before us is a tremendous opportunity to protect US consumers and recoup billions of dollars that should be collected by the Internal Revenue Service,” said Congressman Jim McDermott of his new Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act proposal. “These are revenues that are desperately needed, given that we are at war and face difficulty financing the nation’s priorities.”

‘Given that we [US] are at war’… Wasn’t UIGEA supposed to be an effort to thwart terrorists from accessing a valuable source of funding?  Is America now going to let potential terrorist fundraisers operate online gambling so they can tax them to pay for the war that is meant to be destroying terrorism?  Things must be looking pretty bad on the ol’ fiscal front in the US if this is the argument being used to persuade lawmakers to get rid of UIGEA.

In my opinion, the only valid reason for jettisoning UIGEA is that it is the fair and honest thing to do if the US claims it is a free market society.  If the US government gets to tax online bingo operators and online bingo halls by getting rid of UIGEA, I have no problem with that.  It works in the regulated UK bingo online industry and everywhere else that is enlightened enough to see the sense of this.

However, I feel a little uneasy that free online bingo operators may eventually be able to re-enter the US market, only to find that they are being taxed to fund a dubious quagmire.

Written by John Witherspoon – How about playing bingo online? The best free online bingo games are just one click away.

The news that industry major PartyGaming has suffered a 68% drop in profits over 2007 hides the fact that this company is one of the success stories of the year due to the way it has fought back from the destructive effects of UIGEA.

PartyGaming’s PartyBingo online bingo game product is a small part of its overall operations, but the general strategy of taking its operations into new markets in Europe and Asia has been an inspiration for many in the online gaming industry.  The fightback has been nothing short of remarkable and many online bingo operators and online bingo halls have taken heart from the success of this strategy.

The departure of PartyGaming CEO Mitch Gerber next year may have a small impact on the company, but I expect PartyGaming to continue its recovery, especially once it concludes talks with pesky US authorities on its pre-UIGEA activities.

So what can the average bingo online operator learn from the PartyGaming marketing approach?  Simply this:  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and keep an eye on what’s happening on a global level in the online gaming industry.  Bingo Street can help you do this by visiting our news section at least twice a week.

Written by John Witherspoon – Come and play online bingo at its best! The best bingo games online are one click away.

With world economic headlines starting to paint a dreary picture of a global economy sliding into recession, many investors and online gaming operators may feel a little more optimistic than some secure in the knowledge that so-called ‘sin’ investments such as gambling are usually considered recession proof.

However, this should not alter the fact for many online bingo games operators and online bingo halls an economic downturn does not alter the fundamentals to running a successful online bingo game. Complacency is not the game to play when online bingo players may be contemplating cutting back on their online spending.

So what’s in it for your average UK online bingo player to play at your online bingo site? This I think is the fundamental question every online bingo operator should be asking at this time. A look at what the competition is doing is probably a good place to start and Bingo Street is an excellent resource to search this out.

On the upside, and in the face of a probable economic downturn, it’s still good to be one of the few industry blogs that can actually report on positive developments. Long may this continue.

Written by John Witherspoon – Become a part of a great online bingo community. Play online bingo chat games at BingoStreet.com

Claims by UK gaming company Rank that its bingo operations should stabilize as the year unfolds will be some comfort to those fans of its Mecca Bingo brand. Mecca Bingo is a major name on the land-based bingo scene and also enjoys one of the more recognizable brands in online bingo.

While Mecca Bingo’s online bingo games operations should easily weather the current downturn being experienced by the land-based bingo sector, it remains to be seen if Rank fully turns things round over the course of the year. The company referred to the next 12 months as ‘challenging’, and given the current world economic mood I would say that their assessment is an accurate one.

However, being a gaming company, Rank can hold out hope based on an old investors lore that ‘sin’ stocks are usually a good bet in an economic turndown. Traditionally, gambling is seen by investors as being in the same company as alcohol and tobacco stocks which usually do well during times of stress. I think we can safely bet on the Mecca online bingo hall being around for some time yet.

Written by John Witherspoon – Visit the best UK online bingo site. Bingostreet.com is your ultimate source for the best bingo games online.

A nod of thanks is due to the good kind people at Eyesdownbingo.com for their early notice on the upcoming Third Online Bingo Summit to be held in June.  For those interested (and think this applies to any UK-based online bingo games operator) in attending this event, it will be held at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on June 17th and 18th.

I noticed in the Eyesdownbingo announcement that a number of major online bingo halls will be addressing the summit on a range of subjects concerning the marketing and promotion of bingo online.  I for one will be most interested to hear their views on strategies for entering into new markets as the current protectionist issues with many European Union nations are one of the bigger challenges facing online bingo today.

In the face of the considerable damage done by the loss of the US market thanks to UIGEA, it’s been obvious that the more enterprising online bingo halls have been pursuing a strategy of market diversification to compensate.  Coupled with this is the growing trend towards industry consolidation in which a number of bingo games online operations have been bought and merged with some of the larger online gaming operators in the industry.  I’m sure we will hear some interesting views on these issues at this summit.

More information can be had by going to Eyesdownbingo.com and requesting their brochure outlining the event.  Interested parties can request the brochure here: webmaster@eyesdownbingo.com.

Written by John Witherspoon – How about playing bingo online? The best free online bingo games are just one click away.