In regards to the international summit on the topic of online casino gambling, The U.K. Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) secretary, Tessa Jowell, shared some details of what will be discussed, who may be in attendance, and the ultimate objectives of the summit. In preparation for the full enactment of the UK Gambling Act in September of 2007, the summit will be focusing on developing an international code of practice for online casino and gaming site operators.

When speaking with the Financial Times, Mrs. Jowell said the summit (which is tentatively scheduled for October of this year) will seek to bring together the online gaming regulatory bodies of those jurisdictions that currently have their own standards of regulation, such as the taxing of online casinos, issuing gaming licenses and, most importantly, preventing underage and problem gambling.

When asked how she thought it would be possible getting all of the regulation bodies to adopt the UK's code of conduct, she replied that she knows it is going to be difficult to get those jurisdictions who have become comfortable and successful in their regulation framework to adopt an even more rigorous campaign.  However, she went on to say there is great hope the new Gambling Commission will see a large number of applications considering the reputable advantages of being regulated by a strict jurisdiction, especially one under the auspices of the UK government.

Mrs. Jowell did not elaborate on what the financial costs will be for online casino operators who are regulated under the tax incentives of the UK Gambling Bill, for that is the concern of the Treasury Department, which she said will likely reveal their figures when the 2007 tax budget is announced at the beginning of the new tax year.

As for the international online gambling summit, Mrs. Jowell said to expect a large attendance, including the gambling regulatory agencies of the most influential governments, such as that of Antigua and Barbuda, Kahnawake, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Isle of Man, Alderney (which recently adopted online casino gambling regulations of their own), and even the U.S., where a study of online gambling is currently being recommended to Congress.