The committees mandate is to study the effects of online gambling, as the province’s gaming agency prepares to launch its own site in September 2010.

“We have authorised Loto-Québec to develop online games but we are going to ensure that everything is done to maintain … the fight against gambling addiction,” provincial Finance Minister Raymond Bachand said at a news conference Friday.

The Finance Minister said the committee “…will have total freedom in its methodologies, its opinions and report, which will be made public.”

Bachand added that the committee is charged with monitoring the evolution of the site and the games it offers, and is expected to submit a written report to the minister within three years on the understanding that the government is not obliged to follow its recommendations.

Professors from several Quebec universities, as well as the director of a centre specialising in alcohol and gambling addiction, and a policing expert from Quebec’s Ministry of Public Security will form the committees membership.

University of Montreal psychology professor Louise Nadeau will chair the committee.

Officials estimate the total gaming revenue in Quebec is currently Cdn$50 million a year, and will jump to four times that amount in the next five years.

Loto-Québec will be competing in that market, and has ambitions to claim 40 percent of the total gaming revenues in the province.

Police spokesmen said this week that the syndicate had taken in 7 billion yuan (GBP 679.9 million) during the World Cup alone, and that its influence and activities extended across southern China and Hong Kong.

74 peole involved in the syndicate have so far been arrested in an enforcement initiative dubbed Operation Copperflame.

During several major police actions betting records and equipment associated with online gambling had been seized, spokesmen disclosed. Investigations turned up over 400 different bank accounts used to process the financial aspects of the betting.

“Police are committed to combating illegal bookmaking activities through intelligence-led operations and liaison with neighbouring enforcement agencies during the World Cup tournament,” a police statement proclaimed.

The Hong Kong busts are dwarfed by earlier anti-online gambling actions mounted by the mainland China police in which a secretive internet betting network headed by a mysterious character known as Dark Brother was smashed. In that operation bets of 100 billion yuan were uncovered.

Asian police forces in several countries have since early June maintained an unrelenting pressure in their efforts to deter gambling on the football World Cup, which concludes in South Africa this weekend.

The bingo machines have been popular in bars and stores around the state since the 1980s, but anti-gaming groups have set their sights on eliminating them from their borders. These groups, led mostly by Baptist ministers and their congregations, have a powerful ally in Republican Governor Bob Riley. Riley has stated that all of the state’s sixteen thousand electronic bingo machines should be removed and that “it’s time for them to go.”

Riley also said that he plans to prosecute any company that houses, buys or sells the illegal machines “to the fullest extent” of the law. He has sent letters to governors in states like Nevada, New Jersey and Louisiana, where the gambling industry is at its strongest, asking them to make sure that manufacturers of these machines do not ship their devices to Alabama in an attempt to circumvent the law.

The governor’s stance runs into the full opposition of the developers of new and expanded sites for the popular games. Ronnie Gilley, the lead developer for the Country Crossing facility, said that plans at his site are going “full speed ahead” for a December 1 opening day. His facility will include a concert hall, an RV park and a bed and breakfast along with 1,700 video bingo machines.

Ron Sparks, the state’s Agriculture Commissioner and prospective gubernatorial candidate in the next election, also voiced his disagreement with Riley’s position, stating that the removal of the video bingo machines would cost state and local governments millions in lost tax revenue. Sparks promised that, if elected governor, he would create a plan to regulate and expand gambling within the state in an effort to lower taxes and relieve the state’s budget crisis.

Scheduled to kick off the morning of Monday, November 30th at London’s Old Billingsgate, delegates will be attending a day filled with workshops, seminars, conference streams and networking events, later convening at the EGR Awards ceremony – also held at Old Billingsgate, which is located in the center of London, offering beautiful views of HMS Belfast and the London Bridge.

The following day will also be host to more workshops, conferences and a closing address. In total, EGR Live 2009 will offer fifty conference sessions, seminars and workshops covering every angle of the online gambling industry. It is a free event for anyone working professionally in the iGaming field, including web affiliates, marketing specialists, software executives and online casino operators. Suppliers and sponsors will also have reign to offer special sessions promoting their products and new offerings in the meetings arena.

As for the EGR Awards, the shortlist of award recipients includes the likes of several well known and not so well known operators. For the most part, these are largely UK and Euro-based companies, considering the liberalization of the online gambling industry here.

Some of the more notable categories and nominations include Will Hill, Bwin, BetFair, Party Gaming, Betclick, Bet365and 888 for “Operator of the Year”, Ladbrokes, Camelot, Betsson, 888, Party Gaming and SkyBet for “Socially Responsible Operator of the Year, 32Red and Will Hill Online for “Online Casino Operator of the Year” and All Slots Casino for “Mobile Gaming Operator of the Year. In short, there are eighteen awards categories.

The awards ceremony will be accompanied by a gala dinner, with after parties almost certainly taking place late into the night. After all, EGR Live is the Oscar’s of the online gambling industry. For any parties interested in reserving a table, the point of contact is PageantMedia.com, while EGR Live attendees can register via the EGR Magazine events website.

Senator Voinovich, a Republican, had previously allied himself with Governor Strickland, a Democrat, to oppose any measure that would lead to the expansion of gambling in Ohio. The two politicians joined together to stop a gambling proposal on a statewide ballot in 2006. They also both spoke out on another proposal available to voters in 2008. Both ballot initiatives were voted down.

However, due to the recent economic recession and the heavy job losses incurred by industries within the state, officials were facing a budget crisis due to the severe shortfall in tax revenue. With that in mind, the state legislature approved a plan this past summer to allow the state’s seven racetracks to install up to 17,500 slot machines. The Ohio Lottery Commission will oversee the operation of these new machines.

A spokesperson for the governor stated that the option of using the slot machines to generate tax revenue was much more preferable to the other choice of raising taxes on citizens that had recently lost their jobs. The governor’s office also said that slot machine revenue was the best option available and that officials expect to bring in almost US$1 billion into the state’s treasure in the next two years.

Senator Voinovich stated that he understood Governor Strickland’s dilemma, but that he would have opted to raise taxes, as he did as governor in 1992, rather than allow for expanded gambling in the state. Senator Voinovich also expressed his fears that the slot machines would be available to underage players and would harm area families. He has also opposed a new measure to allow for casino gaming in the state.