London - England has banned online gambling operations based offshore from advertising in the U.K., saying they do not impose stringent enough regulations, Reuters reported. Sites based in areas such as Costa Rica, Belize and the Netherlands Antilles, such as Betfred Casino, will no longer be able to place ads in U.K. papers, on television or online. "I make no apology for banning adverts for Web sites operating from places that don't meet our strict standards," U.K. Culture Media and Sport minister James Purnell told Reuters.