Money-Laundering, Censorship Fears Fanned in Swiss Gambling Vote
- Law blocking foreign online gamblers passed by Parliament
- Vote on law triggered by critics who say change is misguided
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All Switzerland wanted to do was introduce rules to legalize online gambling. Instead it crafted a law that critics say amounts to Internet censorship, and sparked a nationwide referendum.
The bill approved by both houses of Swiss Parliament late last year was designed by lawmakers to crackdown on Internet gambling-related crime. But what has really fired up civil liberties advocates is the law’s stipulation that service providers will be required to block Swiss surfers from accessing gambling sites that don’t belong to Swiss casino operators, and redirect them to a ‘legal’ gambling website.