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Casino Times
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News
09 August 2005
Blair Challenged On UK Casino
Talks
Tony
Blair is facing calls for a promise he will not weaken money
laundering laws to attract foreign casino operators to the
UK.
The Conservative demands
come after papers about government talks with casino firms
about the rules last year.
The Tories say there are
"clear discrepancies" between the documents and what
ministers told Parliament.
The government denies the
claim and says there is no question of diluting money
laundering rules.
The issue surfaced during
talks over new gambling laws, which are set to allow the
UK's first "super casino".
Casino operators were
worried proposed European money-laundering rules would force
them to obtain "satisfactory evidence of identity" of any
person gambling in a casino.
This could reinstate the
"members only" rules the new laws were supposed to abolish,
they argued.
The Observer newspaper
used freedom of information laws to obtain a briefing note
written in May last year by senior culture department
official Richard Beston for minister Lord
McIntosh.
It outlined preparations
for a meeting with Lloyd Nathan, a representative of
entertainment giant MGM, explaining his concern about the
identity rules.
The note said: "We have
asked the Treasury to consider revising the third
money-laundering draft directive to exempt casino members
from showing ID on entry to when they enter the actual
gaming floor.
"If these discussions
fail, I will consider with the industry how best to resolve
this issue."
Another memo suggested
Lord McIntosh warn casino chiefs not to "talk up" their
ambitions for the UK as it might "cause alarm and concern
among MPs, peers and the media".
Culture Secretary Tessa
Jowell was challenged in Parliament last November about
newspaper reports that government officials had asked casino
firms what concessions they wanted.
She told MPs the reports
were untrue, adding: "Discussions on the money-laundering
directive are a matter for the Treasury and still
continue."
Two days later, Mr Blair
said the claims were ridiculous when questioned by Tory
leader Michael Howard.
The prime minister said:
"I do not accept that he has somehow shown that there have
been concessions offered on money laundering to casino
owners."
Such claims were
"ridiculous", he added.
Ms Jowell later wrote to
Mr Howard making clear her officials had sought views from
the industry's views but not negotiated.
Conservative shadow
culture secretary Theresa May said the new papers raised
"huge question marks" over the government's relationship
with foreign casino operators.
And Tory Treasury
spokesman Philip Hammond said: "We need to hear from the
prime minister himself that he will not bow to pressure to
relax the money-laundering laws that were introduced to
protect against terrorism and organised crime simply to
attract foreign casino operators to Britain."
The government says it was
"entirely right", to talk to the casino industry during
significant reforms of gambling laws.
"Part of this was
discussing with them the draft directive and passing on
their views and our views to the Treasury, who are the
ultimate decision-makers," said a culture department
spokesman.
"Tessa Jowell and Tony
Blair never denied that we had talked to the
industry.
"What they denied was that
we offered special favours. If you analyse the documents we
have released under freedom of information legislation, they
confirm that.
"There is no question of
us ever putting the effectiveness of money-laundering
directives behind the interests of casino operators,
wherever they are from."
The culture department
believes casinos should have a choice between obtaining
proof of identity from everybody on the gambling floor or
just from those buying or cashing in 2,000 euros
(£1,380) or more.
The Treasury is now
consulting on that issue.
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