With all the talk about the UK Gambling Bill, one would think that legalized online casinos were well under way in Britain.  It is true that several of the best online casinos have adopted new standards now imposed by internet regulation bodies, such as e Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA).  However, the Gambling Commission, which was created as a result of the Gambling Bill and is responsible for regulating and monitoring UK-based online casinos, will not go have the power to regulate until 2007.  This is when the UK Gambling Bill will come into full effect, and begin doing what it is intended to do.

In the meantime, it seems the Gambling Commission is tied up with land-based casino concerns, which the Gambling Bill is presiding over as well.  The current unresolved issue is whether there will be more than one super casino, and precisely where at least one of these supposed super casinos will be going up.

It was expected that the Bill would be met with some opposition; However, most of this opposition has come against the measures that legalize online casinos and all forms of internet betting.  GamCare, which is a charity that helps addicted gamblers, recently reported findings that show the average debt for online gamblers has risen £5,000 from the previous year, and that more than 1,700 online casinos are now taking real bets from gamblers over the internet.  The charity warns that online gambling is much more volatile than land-based betting at casinos and parlors.  With predictions showing that online gambling will grow in popularity at a rate of 22% more per year, the potential for widespread gambling addictions and accumulated debts is rising sharply.

Many say the reason is that it is too easy for bettors to gamble with their credit cards at even the best online casinos.  Third party accounts and e-wallets have made this possible - and many players lose site of the cash value on their credit card accounts.  Large funds can be transferred much faster in online dcasinos, owing to the technological advances of ever-evolving casino software.  All this, says GamCare, could lead to more accumulation of debt that Britain does not need.