Cyprus-Forum.com

[Gasman]

More 'blame game' from Cyprus - seems Malta too is trying to do them down now...

Cyprus Launches Attack of Words
Angry and fed up, the Democratic Rally Party Deputy, Ionas Nicolaou had plenty to say this week and his anger was aimed at Malta and the United Kingdom. His words of attack were the result of his opinion that both countries have been purposely trying to derail Cyprus’s purposed ban of all online gambling within its borders. When the EU alerted Cyprus that there would be a three-month delay on their feedback for the purposed online gambling ban legislation, there was a report that both Malta and the United Kingdom had disrupted the process with interventions and comments. Both of these countries receive huge revenue from online gambling which are licensed in both countries.

When Cyprus drafted this new legislation and submitted it to the EU for consideration, it was thought that because it was being submitted in September that it would have plenty of time to be passed before the end of December. However, for some reason the European Commission has stated it would take an additional three months to process. The Cyprus Ministry of Finance said that it has to clarify certain sections of the draft making the delay until March 14th needed. The Ministry also announced that Malta and the UK representatives at the EU had submitted their own opinions on Cyprus’s draft.

Some of the points that need clarification according to the European Union consist of one that concerns how customers would pay for regulated online gambling and why the amount of licenses included in the Cyprus draft is so limited. There are also some provisions that seem to be discriminatory among providers of these internet services. The government party has to be vigilant because the European Union will only allow regulation or banning of any online gambling entity according to the EU treaty and EU law and not because of the way Cyprus views traditional casinos.

http://www.casinoscamreport.com/2010/12/22/cyprus-launches-attack-of-words/

From Cyprus Mail:

Cyprus-based Henrik Witt who owns the respected gambling site Classic Poker, which is licensed in the EU said: “If the ban passes it will be shady as the companies licensed in the EU will pull out from Cyprus and the companies that will take Cypriot players will hold Curacao, Costa Rica or Belize licensees.”

Witt says that if this happens licensees and players will be in a world of cheating and pain.

[DT.]

Malta and the UK have a large income stemming from online gambling sites situated within their jurisdictions (especially channel islands)

They've been trying to delay this for some time now,

[SSBubbles]

Have you seen all the 'Vegas style' gaming shops that are sprouting up everywhere and anywhere (Limassol anyway) ? Hideous

[Gasman]

Yes there's one round the corner to where I live. Looks very tacky and calls itself a 'real' casino.

I don't gamble at all (apart from Charity Raffle Tickets and Tombola!) and think even Games Arcades at the seafront are a blot on the landscape, but if Cyprus has to allow something because of their EU membership - so be it - they wanted in.

I was more interested in the 'security' side of it being discussed - and how it might end up over here if they don't do it 'properly'.

As was said in one of today's articles about this - Cypriot Govt does not allow Cypriots to have Casinos on the island (stating their reasons why and how it will be detrimental to family life etc) but they do allow them to travel freely to the TRNC and use the Casinos there.

[CBBB]

Yes there's one round the corner to where I live. Looks very tacky and calls itself a 'real' casino.

I don't gamble at all (apart from Charity Raffle Tickets and Tombola!) and think even Games Arcades at the seafront are a blot on the landscape, but if Cyprus has to allow something because of their EU membership - so be it - they wanted in.

I was more interested in the 'security' side of it being discussed - and how it might end up over here if they don't do it 'properly'.

As was said in one of today's articles about this - Cypriot Govt does not allow Cypriots to have Casinos on the island (stating their reasons why and how it will be detrimental to family life etc) but they do allow them to travel freely to the TRNC and use the Casinos there.

Where is this place?

[mountainman]

Witt says that if this happens licensees and players will be in a world of cheating and pain.

Cyprus should be fully cognisant of 'cheating and pain'.
These two items are commonly visited on naive visitors to Cyprus.

The EU are right to be suspicious of any Cypriot proposals particularly when dealing with a country that when fined for non-compliance simply charges their customers more.

[supporttheunderdog]

I don't approve of gambling - perhaps parts of Australia have the right idea: State owned Casinos, (which here would probably only be open from abiut 8.00 until 13.45, and be staffed by mostly surley innefficient croupiers)

[paliometoxo]

when you go on a cruise with cypriots they waste all their money on the casino but then you get ona boat with polish/russians and no one goes near the gambling

[Milo]

Agree with State owned Casinos as these gambling shops are all over the place now, they can be no worse than casinos. I don,t think grown people always need to be led by the hand on these things They mostly can decide for themselves.

The village I live near to has a 'betting shop' someone a few months ago won eventually 18k euro which he bet away the next day Apart from the fact that he started with a little of his own money, he lost all that he had won, ridiculous as that sounds he was harming no-one imo. Why do we have to have rules banning everyone because of the few that cannot control their addictions?

Sometimes namby pamby rules and regs interfere with life that MOST people can deal with appropriately themselves. I also believe that states should run countries not religions but of course that does,nt happen either. People who wish to gamble will and do travel to countries that allow them too, Cyprus might as well reap the revenue from that imo especially as she is so well placed near middle eastern countries that will NEVER allow casinos, an opportunity not to be missed I think. Good, well run, well regulated Casinos in Cyprus should attract a new type of tourist, and much needed revenue.

The casinos in the north are many and varied and they I believe are not always 'well run' why do they need to be, as who regulates there?

I don,t gamble much as I always lose BUT on holiday I will indulge in a little blackjack or roulette usually on board ship and the winnings are fair to bad. Its just a bit of fun for some and very serious for others, but thats up to them, do we need to protect everyone from everything.

[Gasman]

When I raised this question here a while back Milo, GR was adamant that - yes - Cypriots do need protecting 'from themselves' when it comes to gambling. That they are too stupid to be sensible about it.