Sportingbet Chief Executive Nigel Payne wrote in an article for The Times that the key to a proper understanding of what is happening in the internet gambling industry is to look at the agenda of some of those who seek to criticize it.
“I believe that the real picture that emerges is one of fiscal protectionism that is being masked by political manoeuvring and adroit public relations,” wrote Payne.
In the US and in some parts of Europe, including Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Hungary and France, the online gambling industry is portrayed as an evil business that targets the young and vulnerable, yet all countries have domestic internet gambling businesses that are approved and licensed by the local governments.
This protectionism is particularly evident in the United States, where the proposed ban of online gambling is not a ban at all, but a measure that expands internet betting opportunities on racing, fantasy sports and lotteries while it excludes non-US gambling operators from accessing the market.
“It is probably no coincidence that the exempted activities are almost exclusively controlled by US companies,” added Payne.
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