Trinidad Moves on to Ban Online Gambling

Trinidad has banned casino slot machines and is moving to outlaw online gambling –practices the socially conservative prime minister accuses of encouraging vice and straining families.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced the changes in his budget proposal speech to Parliament on Wednesday, less than a week after the U.S. Congress passed legislation cracking down on Internet gambling.

Mr. Manning, who said Trinidad also would discontinue its national lottery, commands majority support in Parliament, assuring passage of the online gambling prohibition.

The Caribbean nation’s premier outlawed slot machines by executive order. No timetable was given to eliminate online gaming and the national lottery in the twin-island country.

Oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago relies less on gambling and tourism than other islands. But casinos have started to proliferate, with dozens opening here over the past five years.

The United States has been trying to control the multibillion-dollar online gambling industry, which has outposts in several Caribbean countries. The legislation passed last week prohibits the use of credit cards, checks and electronic fund transfers to settle online wagers.