“Chartwell Welcomes Passage of Online Gambling Bill”

The United Kingdom’s passage of legislation (The Gaming Bill), that will introduce regulated online gambling, has received an extremely positive reception by those in the online gambling industry. One company, Chartwell Technology, which provides gaming software to online and remote gambling businesses, sees the legislation as a step in the right direction toward offering Internet gamblers a safe, secure and regulated online environment. Lee Richardson, Chief Executive Officer at Chartwell, stated that the Gaming Bill, expected to become operational in 2006, “may provide the necessary impetus for similar regulatory advancements in other jurisdictions, including elsewhere in Europe”.

Chartwell, which has been following the Gaming Bill since its inception, has invested heavily in Europe in anticipation of the Bill’s passage. There is now a Chartwell Games Head Office in London and they are focusing on the further development and deployment of their gaming systems throughout European. Such game systems include Casino Games, Lotteries, Poker and Bingo Games and Kiosk-based solutions.

Informa Media Group and Merrill Lynch, both of which published reports and analyses on the online gaming industry, estimate that the online gambling revenues will surpass the $14 billion mark by the end of 2006. Europe is expected to account for $7.5 billion of that revenue.

It is worth noting too, that the report issued does not take into account the financial impact that the passage of Britain’s Gaming Bill may have on the gambling industry or the impact that subsequent, similar measures by other countries may have.