Florida Online Gambling Bill

3/2/10 - Beating his federal political colleagues to the punch late last week, Florida Representative Joseph Abruzzo introduced a bill titled the Internet Poker Consumer Protection and Revenue Generation Act of 2010.

Florida has been examining the issue of online gambling, specifically poker, for some months (see previous InfoPowa reports) as a state body prepared a report for the legislature, but Abruzzo appears to have taken the initiative in an attempt to get the ball rolling and short-circuit the implementation of the UIGEA regulations scheduled for June 1st this year.

Abruzzo's legislative proposal suggests a fully regulated system of online gambling in the state, relying on a provision in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 that acknowledges and retains the right of individual states to legalise online gambling within their boundaries.

The new bill proposes strict regulatory measures with which operators will have to comply. These include rigorous licensing conditions and an application fee of $500 000 payable to the Pari-Mutuel Wagering Trust Fund of the Department of Business and Professional Regulations in Florida.

A $1 000 annual licence fee and tax provisions are also envisaged, along with strict operating requirements concerning vulnerable and underaged gamblers and precautions against the involvement of crime and the prevention of money laundering. Gamblers aged 21 years or over will only be accepted, and limits on time spent gambling and amount wagered are planned. The software used will have to be independently certified as fair.

Abruzzo proposes a tax rate of 20 percent on gross win, payable on a monthly basis by operators.

B3W's white label poker growing - 02/03/2012 : Online poker software developer B3W's venture into the white label poker market with an all-inclusive product has paid dividends, according to the company, which this week reported that in six months four fully integrated poker rooms had been signed up for its Poker Pack Network.

Betfair public affairs manager speaks out for regulated online gambling - 02/03/2012 : Tom Tuxworth, public affairs manager for the listed British online betting group Betfair, told a South African parliamentary portfolio committee studying the possible legalisation of online gambling that prohibition only drives would-be internet punters to offshore and unregulated websites.

Suzan Smith, problem gambler blows 400k of bosses money - 02/03/2012 : A compulsive online gambler who stole almost GBP 400 000 from her employer was sent to jail in Norfolk, UK this week after a judge criticised her for stealing not only the money but a part of a decent man's life.

NEW IPAD APP FROM BETFAIR - 02/03/2012 : Betfair plc launched its next generation iPad App into the Apple store Friday, announcing that the bespoke native application is a marked enhancement from previous products and is the first to come out of Betfair’s development office in San Francisco

Boxing behind Betfair's latest sponsorship - 02/03/2012 : Betfair is the newest title sponsor of the Matchroom Sport Prizefighter series in a partnership deal that will deliver the online betting exchange branding rights across the ring and provide its customers with expert analysis and in-depth fighter interviews.