Plans to end an advertising ban, to permit betting shops and internet poker & gambling websites to advertise on television and radio, made by former Prime Minister Tony Blair and culture secretary Tessa Jowell, appear delayed at best and more likely will be scrapped all together by the new government, according to an article over the weekend in the British newspaper The Sunday Times.

The change in the gambling advertising policy was announced by James Purnell, the new culture secretary, which further indicates the conservative direction new Prime Minister Gordon Brown is taking with regard to gambling in the U.K., and how he has abandoned much of the gambling liberalization plans of his predecessor. Play route 66 poker.

The proposals to end the ban on advertisements for betting shops, gaming websites and slot machines had earlier provoked opposition from church leaders who warned it would lead to more problem gambling.

Purnell, in his first interview since joining the cabinet two weeks ago, said, "That was one of the concerns people have mentioned and one of the things that, as a new minister in this area, I will be going through methodically to see if the concerns are legitimate." Women poker.

"It is important to have a thorough review of all the evidence" he stressed.

The minister also said he would be reviewing the full range of proposed gambling legislation, with the authority of the prime minister to change the plans.

SUPERCASINO DECISION CHANGING TOO

Purnell's announcement follows Brown's surprise announcement of a summer review of the government's contentious gambling strategy, especially surrounding plans to build a Las Vegas-style supercasino in Manchester, during Prime Minister's Questions last Wednesday.

Purnell defended the decision to look again at poker supercasinos. "I think you have to have an effective regulatory structure and I wanted to look at the concerns that people had expressed and go through the act methodically to make sure that we had good answers to those worries," he said.

The proposed plans to locate the first Las Vegas-style supercasino in the northern U.K. city of Manchester were voted down in the House of Lords late March, though it passed by a narrow majority in the House of Commons. Download poker wallpapers.

Purnell signalled that proposals for 16 smaller casinos would be allowed to go ahead, as there had been a "clearer consensus" among MPs and peers about those plans.

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