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UK Gambling Bill Faces Rough Ride in Lords

UK -- As reported by the Guardian: "The government will be forced to make further concessions to secure the passage of its battered bill to reform Britain's gambling laws, MPs and peers predicted last night as it cleared its final hurdle in the Commons.

"Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, is determined to modernise the rules governing the fast-expanding industry, not least because of the increase in internet and other forms of globalised gambling.

"…But ministers know that the bill's passage through the Lords will be stormy. With an election looming, probably on May 5, a lack of time will give peers the powers to demand more concessions and probably enforce the cut in super-casinos to four, one or even nil, if they wish.

"Loyalists like Lord Faulkner and even ministers like Lord Rooker are known to share doubts about the bill.

"Its second reading in the Lords has been delayed to February 22 to give priority to the railway bill. The process will take at least three weeks, putting the bill at risk from the trade-offs that routinely occur when a parliament's end is announced…"

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