Page 9 - The Game November 2006

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper The Game, November 2006 9
regulatory fees. We can’t do what these other companies do. I think I heard Bowmans on your show as I was waiting to come on. If we advertise Bowmans on a sign at our racetrack we’re going to lose our racing license. Our gambling licenses are in jeopardy if we do anything that is even remotely close to putting ourselves in jeopardy to the law.
McCown: Well they haven’t shut down this radio station for accepting the advertising.
Willmot: Not yet
McCown: Although the effort has been made. It is factual, though, that Woodbine Entertainment
sent a letter some years ago
to this company and other broadcasters in all of
Southern Ontario, threaten-
ing legal action if they did
not cease and desist accept-
ing revenues from off
shore operators, specifically
ones that offered racetrack
betting and my understand-
ing is that everybody
complied immediately with
that request. Is that not
accurate?
Willmot: At that time and it’s crept back in. Customers of ours have been poached and stolen and that’s competition and we can handle that, but not if laws are being broken to achieve that.
McCown: You talked about the legalization of all this and you would welcome that. Would you also welcome third party participation or do you believe that the province of Ontario and/or Woodbine Entertainment would have to continue to have the gaming monopoly?
Willmot: No, I would welcome any participation as long as the operator becomes licensed. The whole thing is about licensing and regulation within Canada - protecting the Canadian public and that’s why we have laws on the books. At the moment, you could have a 12 year- old playing this stuff against his parents’ will and how would they know? In Canada you have to jump through hoops when you’re licensed in order to be able to operate any of these types of account wagering systems.
McCown: Well be careful there with that documentation because clearly the internet is in as good a position as the casino or racetrack operator to prohibit minors from participating and there are plenty of protections in the system to do that. Do I think
that the odd one slips through? I’m sure it does.
Willmot: Oh Bob, Bob, Bob...
McCown: Just as I’m quite sure that the odd underage person wanders into a casino with some kind of illegal ID, or dare I say manages to make a wager at a racetrack.
Willmot: Bob, the great majority of these sites operate out of jurisdictions where there are virtually no regulations. There is not even a prohibition against underage gaming. They’re under no obli- gation to do it.
McCown: Even the sites in Britain?
Willmot: The sites in Britain, there is a prohibition. The sites in the Channel Islands too. But the Costa Rican sites, the island sites, the Kanawake Mohawks in Quebec, which is the most outrageous thing. We have the biggest broadband pipe on internet gaming going right into Quebec. That is a big issue. And that is an issue that the rest of the world throws out when we talk about Canada’s rather crazy position on online gaming. There’s no reason for them to be self-regulating. They’re going to take bets from whomev-
er they can.
McCown: I have to cut you off
because we’re out of time. We’ve got twenty seconds here. Is there a better way to do this? Is there a way to attack just the ones that are more corrupt and address the others?
Willmot: If they’re not licensed here, they’re illegal and even though they have good...
McCown:...intentions. We got to go I thank you very much for the time tonight. Back with more on Prime Time.
Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 3:00 p.m.
Broodmares, Stallions, Stallion Shares, Weanlings, Yearlings, & Horses of Racing Age
Woodbine Sales Pavilion Woodbine Racetrack Toronto, Ontario
Buyers are eligible for airfare rebates through
our Inward Buyers Program
For a catalogue and information contact the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) (416) 675-3602 or visit www.cthsont.com
DAVE LANDRY PHOTO