Online casino and sportsbook operators are studying the effects that new changes to UK gambling laws will have on their companies.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport recently issued a report where the potential changes were listed, including the requirement for offshore gambling groups to apply for a unique license to operate within the UK gambling market. Until now, as long as these operators were licensed by ‘white listed’ jurisdictions, they did not need further licensing by UK authorities.
The Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, said that the new laws were put in place to protect UK gamblers. “Online gambling has changed significantly in recent years with many European countries taking new approaches to regulation,” he said. “It would be wrong of us to stand still where many things are changing around us – especially where the protection of British consumers is at stake.”
The news has been met by surprise by online operators such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, who made the move to Gibraltar to escape the UK’s tough tax regime. They will need to weigh their options once more if they are faced with additional taxation and regulation costs.