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p14 nick hawkins 23/12/08 09:19 Page 34
UK GAMING
Is Christmas Cheer for the Gambling
Sector drowned out by Doom and
Gloom – or are there any Fairy
Godmothers out there anywhere?
Former UK Shadow Gambling Minister Nick Hawkins sorts the wheat
from the chaff in his bi-monthly column…
A
lthough I’m writing this pre-Christmas, particularly foolish on the Tote – where, the
to be read post-, I don’t somehow think, Government turned down a great deal put forward
in the absence of a world-wide universal from Tote Management and now, as predicted by this
fairy Godmother, the economy in Column, can’t get a deal at all (another broken
general or for the gaming sector in promise…) – but at least racing will survive any
particular will look much better in January than it Recession. The super-rich will still breed, own and
does in mid-December. However, we can have some train horses and we mug punters will still back them.
New Year Wishes… : that the UK Prime Minister, I look forward to Boxing Day at Kempton Park – had
“the great clunking fist”, and his minions, realise that a good day there, last year (thanks to Exotic Dancer –
tinkering with VAT at the margins can actually cause always happy to back a good horse with a great
more problems for business and industry than it name…)
solves, and that getting on with announcements
which have been promised to industry on specific In other fields:
Nick Hawkins is a Barrister much-needed relief, would be better – the
specialising in Gambling and announcement of an increase in Stakes and Prizes Casinos will probably have a tough time except at
Leisure law. In his 13 years for Category C machines under UK law is now badly the very top of the market in the UK, I fear.
in Parliament previously, he overdue as I write.
held roles in Government and Internet Gaming will continue to grow, in my view,
Opposition, including The Government also should be taking steps to across the world-but perhaps at a slower rate
Shadow Solicitor-General assert our sovereignty as against the EU on small but (especially among UK players as unemployment rises
and Shadow Sports Minister. important matters for this industry, too: I’m delighted inexorably to three million and beyond….)
He is now Legal Director for that finally we can now be allowed, if we wish, to have
a gaming company. Union Jack stickers on car number plates, and keep The most interesting matter of all, world-wide will
the inch, the ounce and (especially for me, as a be “how quickly will the Obama Presidency turn its
CAMRA real ale enthusiast and lover of nice pubs) attention to liberalising gaming in the US and being
the pint – but why are changes on the technical side less protectionist?” I suspect it will be a second year
of stakes and prizes implementation, proposed to be issue, not a first-year issue – there are so many huge
delayed, for Brussels EC Eurocrats to review – when financial issues to cover, never mind the “War on
they were never involved before? “Hands off our Terror”, that gambling is a small, low-place on the
gaming machines” may not be as sexy a slogan for the agenda, item. However – we know this President-elect
media as fruit and veg traders in markets, the so- is definitely not anti-Gambling, and in the House of
called “Metric Martyrs”, like Steve Thoburn, but it still Representatives and the Senate the Democrats who
matters to a significant number of UK businesses. favour licensing not Prohibition are now stronger –
so the Religious Right can largely be muzzled or by-
While we’re at it, why can’t the UK Government see passed, I hope. Actually, on the US Presidency,
that “we’ll only have two implementation dates a year, gambling couldn’t lose, as an industry – as John
October and April for all regulations” is a totally McCain was known publicly to gamble – but he
unhelpful stance if it is inflexible – it is not, as they would have had more issues with the ‘antis’ in his
claimed “helpful to industry to have clarity”, if the Party, had he won.
industry needs speed. We have all the clarity we need
on how stark the problems are! Though we’ll be well into 2009 by the time you are
reading this, have a Happy Gambling New Year!
On a wider front, the UK Government now looks
14 JANUARY 2009
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