Mr Chairman, the tabling of this report offers opportunity for broad debate. It is good that we have recognised the need to open up possibilities for Internet gambling, but that comes with the need to regulate the industry. Of necessity this would mean taking another step towards the further regulation of the Internet and the freedom that takes place there. I think that as we do so we also need to commit ourselves not to take this opportunity to overregulate the Internet on account of this specific problem in a manner in which we don't want the Internet to be regulated. We shouldn't make such regulation a back door to a type of regulation that does not fit the specific nature of cyberspace.
The second consideration is that there is consensus that gambling has negative aspects that damage the poorest of the poor. That begs the question: Why is government involved in such an activity? Why do we run a National Lottery? All sorts of explanations are given for such absurdity. One of them is that we can raise money for things we would not otherwise have money for. That was the case when the money from the National Lottery was utilised for purposes that were not covered by the Budget.
However, as we recommend that the purposes for which grants can be made be extended to any of the purposes and objectives of government, we find ourselves in the contradiction of effectively having the same base of purposes covered by the national Budget. In that case we could very well take the money, place it in the National Revenue Fund and disburse it towards government priorities, like any other source of revenue. However, all these show the need for seriously reconsidering why government should be in the business of gambling and producing the same type of addiction that we are trying to address on the other hand. The third point is the consideration of how we look at this. I will never gamble. It is not in my matrix. I don't like it, but who am I - and who are any of us - to tell other folk who want to gamble that they shouldn't. We must regulate gambling to ensure consumer protection, not prohibit it. [Time expired.]