Gordon Brown.

Add this name to the list of those of the morally directed few with power enough to place a strangle hold on online gambling reform. As reported by Amy Calistri from Pokernews.com the recently appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has began to derail the lengthy efforts of gambling enthusiasts and companies alike to bring internet and land-based gambling to the forefront by legalizing it and reaping the tax benefits.

Instead it seems that Gordon Brown doesn't like money coming from those with gambling interest as he has placed restrictive tax amounts on those seeking to do business within the UK thus barring companies like PartyGaming and Harrah's to enter their market both virtually and with brick and mortar casinos.

Also getting a government face slap is the restriction that was lifted on advertisements for these companies in March 2007. But in light of the new gambling reform, it seems as though the morally correct politico types that punched the UIGEA thru the US House and Senate have sailed across the pond to shoot down chances of gamlbing regulation thus forcing the average "punter" to partake in the unlawful underground games.

Here's part of Calistri's story from Pokernews.com on the new face of online gambling's enemy:

In the US, Bill Frist became the gambling prohibition poster boy, defined by his role as online gambling's personal escort into the Dark Ages. The global envy of US gambling minded citizens and free market philosophers was heightened by the UK's apparent rational response to online gaming; seeking to legislate and regulate the terrain. Well, the US need not be jealous any more. The UK has its own gambling Dark Ages' poster boy and it's none other than new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The UK has been working for seven years on comprehensive gambling reform embodied in the Gambling Act of 2005, which was due to take effect in September 2007. Along with regulating remote gambling via the internet, they constructed a responsible gambling advertising policy, as well as paved the way for highly regulated Vegas-style casino operations. Governments across the globe waited in anticipation for the UK's planned enactment in the hope that they could emulate the policies that finally harnessed offshore online gaming into a regulatory framework. Large casino operators eyed some of England's more economically mired municipalities as fertile ground for new investment. And although heavily regulated, lifting the ban on gaming advertising represented a potentially huge infusion of cash into media-related industries. But most of what took years of work and sizable investment by the government and private entities alike, has been undone by PM Gordon Brown in just a few short months... (continued at Pokernews.com)