Serbia bans 70 online gambling operators from its market

Online gambling is one of the most controversial industries today, and many nations across the globe are taking actions to both prevent corruption and regulate the market. Last year, the Serbian Gaming Board restricted access to online poker sites in an attempt to curb illegal internet gambling, but Serbian citizens were able to skirt the law by visiting foreign sites to play online blackjack, according to BlackJackChamp.com.

"We had to prevent access to illegal sites in order to have a regulated market, with leading players who will operate under the law and allow the state will reap the benefits," Serbian Gaming Board director Aleksander Vulovic stated last year, according to the news source. "Currently online gambling is one of the most profitable industries and it is estimated that the revenue will double by 2013. It is simply wrong that the state does not collect a penny of the millions from the sector."

Now, the gaming board has taken further action to restrict online gambling within the country. It has blocked 70 online gambling websites from operating in Serbia, but these companies will have six months to apply for a license to continue doing business with Serbian gamblers, CardPlayer.com reports.

Do you think this action will help Serbia collect revenue from the online gambling industry? If it works, could it possibly help sway U.S. lawmakers in their decision making process?

Published on 21 February 2012