UK’s Remote Gambling Regime To Be Reviewed In Light Of Rapid Technological Advances
In April 2009, the UK Minister for Sport announced that in response to the “rapid technological advances in online gambling”, the UK Government was going to explore a range of measures to ensure that British licensees were competing on a level-playing field with their overseas competitors. The DCMS said at the time that the Government would be looking to make the regulatory system fairer for UK licensed operators, but would also be working with the Gambling Commission on a number of issues such as recouping regulatory costs, obtaining funding for research into problem gambling in the UK and contributions to the Horserace Betting Levy (the annual fee which is collected from bookmakers and used to support the horseracing industry).
Whitelist operators who were advertising their services in the UK were singled out in the announcement as under the current system they benefit from a regime which allows them to advertise in the UK if they are based within the European Economic Area, Gibraltar or in one of the jurisdictions included on the Whitelist. Inclusion on the Whitelist also means that operators do not pay any levy on horseracing bets or wagers.
