Cape Town - Operators of internet gambling should be subject to similar tax regimes as their land-based counterparts, established gambling operators have argued before a parliamentary committee. Casino Association of South Africa (Casa) chairman Jabu Mabuza told the national assembly's trade and industry committee that his organisation "notes with concern" that the National Gambling Board had recommended that a tax on interactive gambling games be 2 percent of net gambling revenue.

Gordon Brown left himself open to charges of hypocrisy after it emerged that Labour accepted a donation from an online gambling firm days before he killed off plans for a super casino. Labour received a GBP 100,000 donation from Bet365 Ltd on June 28 - the day after Mr Brown became Prime Minister. The company, founded by Labour donor Peter Coates, also gave a donation of GBP 50,000 in April when Tony Blair was still Prime Minister.

Legislation banning gambling halls and casinos may end up driving many operators out of business, but for some, it is spurring creative partnerships, while others are seeking fortune elsewhere. In June, St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko signed a decree to abolish gambling enterprises in the city effective January 1, 2008 - exactly one year before the introduction of the federal law. Most of the city’s 21 casinos and 571 gambling halls will close, though 19 will remain open in 2008.

Players organisations across a range of sports have welcomed new laws aimed at tackling cheating in sports betting. The Professional Players Federation (PPF) has launched a code to ensure all players are aware of the new Gambling Act coming into force on 1 September. Cheating” or “helping to cheat” on sports wagers will carry a maximum two-year jail term for sportsmen.

US Representatives Steve Israel and Pete King published an engaging editorial in the NewYork Post yesterday outlining why they are such staunch supporters to regulate and tax online poker and online gambling instead of banning it. The article, "Web Gambling: Tax, Don’t Ban", helps readers understand whey these two Long Island Congressmen were original co-signers of Barney Frank’s Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (IGREA), HR 2046.

Port Canaveral - The U.S. Coast Guard this morning allowed two gambling ships to resume regularly scheduled cruises. The Sterling Casino's Ambassador II left Port Canaveral at 11 a.m. for a five-hour gambling excursion into international waters. The company said the ship would also carry on with its 7 p.m. to midnight gambling cruise. On Tuesday, the Coast Guard ordered the Ambassador II to leave Port Canaveral because it did not have required documentation.

San Francisco - Payday has finally come for hundreds of thousands of U.S. customers whose money has been tied up for months in a beleaguered Internet money-transfer service popular among gamblers. Under a deal reached with the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan last month, Neteller has begun to allow consumers access to their accounts following a months-long federal investigation.

Brian Pomeroy has been appointed as Chair of the Gambling Commission, the government’s gambling watchdog, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, James Purnell, announced today. Pomeroy will take up his post on 1 January 2008, after the current Chair Peter Dean steps down. He will be responsible for taking the Gambling Commission forward as it develops its regulatory role, including enforcing many of the new elements of the Gambling Act.

Antigua & Barbuda is not on the list of foreign remote gambling jurisdictions approved to be white listed by the UK Gambling Commission, released yesterday, and has begun the bid to join jurisdictions approved. The list gives the countries or jurisdictions pre-approval to advertise gambling services in the UK from September. In February, Minister of Finance and the Economy Errol Cort announced an overhaul of the country’s gaming regulations, citing the desire to be white listed among the motivations for the move.

The gambling industry has been forced to establish a new body to draw up a voluntary code for socially responsible advertising, weeks before the Gambling Act 2005 comes into force. The group will monitor the code, adding to the plethora of different bodies, including the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), already regulating the industry. Members will be drawn from representatives of a number of gambling associations.

The gambling industry is to be allowed to screen advertisements during sporting events in return for a pledge to remove its logos from children’s replica football shirts. Television adverts for bookmakers, casinos and gambling websites will be allowed for the first time from next month as new laws take effect. It emerged yesterday that James Purnell, the Culture Secretary, has won a battle to impose a 9pm watershed on the adverts when the gambling industry published a voluntary code of conduct before the liberalisation on September 1.

Clinton, Iowa (AP) - The Mississippi Belle II Casino will make its final voyage on Oct. 10, ending the riverboat gambling era in Iowa. Riverboat gaming took float in Iowa in 1991 on the Mississippi River. Boats would take guests out onto the river, where they would enjoy the view while having dinner and placing bets on casino games. Now, the focus is on glitzy slot machines and table games.