The Queens Speech, which Her Majesty gave yesterday (Wednesday May 8th), has confirmed what many gambling companies were expecting – that all gambling companies will now need to hold a UK Gambling license if they plan on advertising to or accepting players from the UK market.
Until recently, gambling companies have been able to operate in the UK under a license from an approved overseas jurisdiction (such as the Government of Gibraltar, for example). However, the new Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill will now require all casinos, sportsbooks and poker sites that operate in the UK to have a UK Gambling license. This is to provide UK consumers with increased protection and to provide increasing levels of support against illegal activity.
As well as being subject to much more stringent regulations, operators will also be expected to contribute to education, research and treatment of gambling related problems in Britain, plus will be obliged to inform the Gambling Commission of any suspicious UK betting patterns. The bill was not directly referenced in the Queen’s Speech; however it was referred to in the attached briefing notes after the line “other measures laid out before you”.
So, what does this mean for current online casino, sportsbook and poker operators who have a license from another jurisdiction? What about those with the more expensive “top tier” licenses which are whitelisted by the UK Gambling Commission and have previously been acceptable? Whilst it is too early to say what the implications of this bill will be, it is undoubtedly going to ruffle a few feathers across the gambling industry today.
Stay tuned for more on this story as it comes. In the meantime, if you’d like to read more about jurisdictions and licencing, visit Gamble.co.uk.
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