The Council for the Regularization of Gambling in Sport is demanding enforcement of the Penal Law Amendment (Prohibited Games, Lottery and Betting) Law (1964) against online gambling. The Council on Gambling recently sent a letter to this effect to State Prosecutor Eran Shendar, Israel Police chief of investigations Commander Moshe Mizrahi, and Israel Tax Authority director Eitan Rub, calling for a "change in priorities to investigate and indict criminals in this area."
"Globes" has obtained a copy of this letter, in which the Council on Gambling emphasizes that the police estimate the volume of illegal gambling in Israel at NIS 1 billion a year. The Council on Gambling notes that illegal gambling involves control by organized crime, violence, and money laundering, and even led to the collapse of Trade Bank.
The Council on Gambling believes that these unwelcome phenomena are worsening, not just because they are not a priority target, but also because illegal online gambling is easily accessible.
Council for the Regularization of Gambling in Sport director general Shaul Schneider said in response, "This is a plague that harms the economy and society, and is accompanied by widespread criminality. In addition to reducing the Council's revenue, which harms Israeli sport, its estimated direct costs to the state is several hundred millions shekels a year. This is why we're calling on the law enforcement agencies to remove their gloves in all matters relating to illegal gambling, and to make it a priority."
Among the measures the Council for Gambling recommends to fight illegal gambling are a simple method of examining Internet servers to trace the people operating illegal websites, and enactment of a bill dealing with illegal Internet gambling, proposed by MK Ronnie Bar-On (Likud).
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on December 9, 2004