UK Gambling laws went live on November 1st 2014
If you are a UK player and have suddenly found yourself locked out of your favourite gambling site, this is due to the recent changes in UK licensing laws which went live on November 1st. Originally scheduled to come into force on October 1st, the new rules mean that any casino or gambling site who wish to advertise to or accept UK players should be licensed by the UK authorities. In addition they also need to pay an additional tax on all UK transactions.
This has meant a max exodus from the UK for many established brands, although many of the major brands have taken steps to ensure they meet the new requirements. Some have channeled UK players though to different brands or a special UK version of their casino. The legislation was originally due to come into force on October 1st but was delayed due to both a back log in UK licensing application processing and a challenge in the High Court from a group of gambling operatives.
The main objectives of the act are :
- prevent gambling from being a source of crime and/or disorder, or from being associated with crime or disorder and/or from being used to support crime;
- ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way; and
- protect children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed and/or exploited by gambling
Exactly how things will pan out for UK players remains to be seen. At present it appears that only the major players are certain to remain in the market and there will be a lot less choice for players from the UK. These could lead to a monopoly by those using big brand software such as Microgaming and Playtech, with fewer smaller or independant software providers being able to afford to compete with the bigger boys. Fears that unlicensed casinos will still be offering their services to UK players, have also surfaced. Whether the “black market” which some commentators have predicted will come about remains to be seen - after all the new law has only been in force for three days.
