Ireland Finds Online Casinos a Likely Boon
A committee formed by the Irish government to study improving the efficiency and efficacy of Ireland's laws regarding gambling, casinos, and online wagering came up with some powerful, if not unexpected, results.
The Ireland Casino Committee found that the United States' passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act has opened economic opportunities for Ireland, and recommended the country immediately exploit them.
The committee advised Irish leaders to seek out online casino operators to locate in the country, continuing an economic renaissance that has featured online giants like Google and Yahoo making Ireland their base for European operations.
As found consistently among objective studies and expert testimonies, the idea of imposing a ban similar to the U.S. was deemed problematic and virtually unenforceable, with a multitude of unforeseen and and undesirable consequences.
The committee did wish to suggest a limited licensing program, with provisions for preventing access to minors, prevent criminal usages, and protect customers from dishonest operators and shady software.
The committee was so struck with the advantages of online casinos using Ireland as a home base, the possibility of using favorable tax rates and exemptions was suggested.
As with online gambling, the committee also found that laws regarding casinos and land gambling needed to be updated and modernized, bringing licensing, taxation, and consistency to the laws, so that the laws would be respected and not produce scofflaws.
Apparently, Ireland wants to pass realistic gambling laws that benefit the country and its citizenry, rather than impose a messy ban that is both unenforceable and a drain on public resources. Can anybody think of a country that could do well following this example?
