Ireland’s Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, the man who made a U-turn last July after stating categorically that casinos would be banned in the country, has now declared that any electronic gaming machines introduced into betting shops will be seized. The plan to close all casinos operated as private members’ clubs was abandoned after failing to find support amongst Cabinet colleagues, and a regulatory commission will now assess licensing rules. Across the Irish Sea in the UK, electronic gaming machines in betting shops are a major contribution to profitability.

In Korea the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (SPO) has seized thousands of computers from illegal video gambling arcades. It now intends to donate nearly thirty-three thousand reconditioned computers to disabled and underprivileged people. The SPO declared that the action will contribute to easing the information gap between rich and poor. It has not commented on the possible use of these computers for online gambling. The computers were used to run programmes for the slot machine-style gambling found in adult gaming arcades throughout Korea that has now been declared illegal.

Gaming operators and manufacturers frequently push the boundaries of gaming law, and legislators must continually play ‘catch-up’. As the technology changes so must the laws, but scientific innovation moves at a faster pace than legislative procedures. Deliberations in several US states still continue on whether the multi-player terminals on an electronic game constitute one game or many, an important definition in places where there are limits imposed on the number of games in a casino. The machines were in play before the legal parameters were decided.

In Korea it was the contravention of existing laws, not pushing the boundaries, that caused a legislative crackdown on gambling operations. Gamblers were able to illegally exchange winning certificates for cash and, in some cases, gaming machines were reprogrammed to attract players by giving bigger prizes than allowed by law. The ongoing scandal has involved members of the government. In Ireland, where casinos are illegal, the laws covering private members’ clubs have kept them operating in everything but name. (E-12.18.06)

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