Polish Gambling Executive Calls For Regulating Online Casinos
Land casino executives around the world are changing their tune regarding online casinos. Once staunch opponents of Internet gambling, now they are grudgingly becoming supporters.
The latest to call for regulation of online gambling is Zbigniew Macioszek, a board member of Casinos Poland. Casinos Poland is by far the largest land operator in the country, controlling seven casinos and six slot parlors.
Maciosek wants to encourage online casinos to base in the country as well as operate there. He thinks that Poland can successfully compete with countries like Malta, which host Internet gaming sites. He says that with the right regulations, Poland would be a far more desirable setting than places like Malta, which carry stiff rules.
Maciosek said that current Polish law "...was created almost 20 years ago from scratch with a lot of regulations copied from other countries. Thus, a number of regulations are obsolete or inapplicable in the current context. In Poland, we fall under the Government's customs department, which does not have much time to focus on the branch and does not understand it.'
Maciosek foresees a future with land casinos melding with their online counterparts. He asserts that the enjoyment of gambling is universal, and all countries must face the constantly changing environment.
Maciosek's words are similar to those of Frank Fahrenkopf, the head of the American Gaming Association. Fahrenkopf, whose trade organization represents the largest American casino operators, has indicated his membership is coming around to the idea of legalizing and regulating the online gambling industry.
Clearly, land-based casino management is coming to task with the inevitable ascent of online casinos. Finding itself unable to continue the escalation of development of monster land resorts, it has turned to Internet gaming as a potential source of future revenue, and the old resistance to competition is fading.
