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ePolitix.com reports on the main arguments raised at Wednesday's Westminster Hall debate on regulating online gambling.
Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Don Foster today highlighted online gambling as "an area of gambling that is very big business".
Speaking at a Westminster Hall debate on regulation of online gambling, Foster said that the industry makes up £12.5bn per year with only 1,000 out of 6,000 websites being regulated.
He raised the topic of 'white listing' and argued that since September 2007 the "Gambling Commission has done no mystery shopping" to check up on white listed sites.
He also asked how much white listing cost and how many prosecutions for infringement there had been.
And Foster paid tribute to Betfair in seeking to pass on information to the Commission.
Tobias Ellwood, speaking for the Conservatives, heavily criticising what he saw as an "uneven playing field" between UK markets in gambling and the rest of the EU which operated national monopolies.
He called the EU system "very much flawed" and added that it was "surely not right" that there was no open market.
He highlighted the dangers of spread betting in particular and suggested that a 'kitemark' should be adopted for safe and approved gambling websites.
Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe responded to the debate arguing that the Gambling Act had implemented a robust regulatory framework and had taken "remote gambling" into account.
He outlined doubts over the figures supplied and pointed out that the increases in numbers gambling were overwhelmingly increases in National Lottery gambling rather than other more harmful forms.
He added that funding for research and education of problem gamblers was vital and emphasised the government support given to theses projects.
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