The European Court of Justice last year undermined this ruling, and law firm Charles Russell is representing 300 former leaseholders.Now a separate legal team is launching a campaign to encourage more ex-leaseholders to sue. It is backed by Edwin Coe solicitors and Alan Temple, who ran a group that sued Inntrepreneur in the 1990s.Mr Temple has advertised in the press and mailed 3,000 former leaseholders. A call centre has had 400 calls from leaseholders over the past two weeks. Mr Temple says up to 11,000 are eligible, with average claims estimated at £200,000.A Inntrepreneur spokesperson would not comment on suggestions that the company has insurance to cover claims totalling £200m. “We are surprised anyone can claim that the ECJ ruling now gives new or additional rights,” he said. “We are extremely confident [the company] will not have any damages awarded against it.”. Internet casinos and gambling companies are to be banned from taking debit card bets after it emerged that children have been using them to gamble on-line.
His gambling spree emerged only after the card company spotted the surge in spending and asked his father to explain it.Gamcare believes the main risks to children came from their increasing access to debit cards The Halifax and NatWest. for example, will give Solo cards to 11-year-olds, which can be used to gamble on the internet, mobile phones or digital TV.The Government’s plans, expected to be introduced next year, are likely to lead to an explosion in “e-gaming”. There are up to 4,000 sites worldwide; £800m is thought to have been bet online in Britain last year.Many British internet gaming companies, such as Littlewoods’ Betdirect, Blue Sq , Sportingbet, Ladbrokes and Stanleybet, allow clients to use debit cards and are expected to oppose attempts to ban them.A spokesman for Ladbrokes said the industry was working with the banks to introduce new techniques to prevent children gambling. “Removing the ability to accept debit cards would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut,” he said.But Steven Miles, director of the Centre for Research into the Social Impact of Gambling at Plymouth University, said internet sites were potentially dangerous: ” Virtually nothing is known about the impact of on-line gambling.
It is a move into unknown territory.”* Sources at Amazon , Borders and other large US booksellers say the new laws will promote an explosion in sales of gambling-related books. Drawing on experience in Nevada, they have indicated that where there is gambling, there is also a massive market for “how to win” literature. The US gambling book market is estimated to be worth about $5m a year.. Chupa Chups, the lollipops licked by everyone from Britney Spears to Russian cosmonauts, are about to make the giant leap from sweet shop to stock market. The Catalan confectioner, which has towered over the global lollipop market for 44 years, is planning to float a chunk of the business.
The family-owned company sells 3.8 billion multi-flavoured lollipops a year to 170 countries, but is looking for a way to finance a series of planned acquisitions, possibly in the US.Although only a minority stake would be floated, food analysts estimate the issue could raise as much as €2bn (£1.25bn).
