Brit remote gaming license applicants

[jetset]

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List of "remote gambling licenses" applicants published by the UK Gambling Commission

 

[Professor]

How long does the approval process take once an application has been submitted?

Are casinos or poker licensed in Curacao white listed? If a casino or poker room is licensed in an EU member country or its territories are they accepted? I would expect EU trade treaties to cover these sort of things, but I havent seen confirmation of that.

 

[spearmaster]

Neither Curacao nor Antigua are currently white listed, nor is Kahnawake.

Other than countries in the EEA, there's Isle of Man and Alderney. Gibraltar is a member of the EEA.

 

[jetset]

As is Malta.

Belize is not on the list and a spokesman from that jurisdiction was quoted just yesterday as saying he couldn't understand why Belize was excluded because it complied with all Brit regulatory requirements LOL.

Antigua says it is working with the Gambling Commission to iron out a few points of concern but that it is confident of getting on the white list, which is apparently an open process.

Curacao is in pretty much the same position and has said it is definitely making changes to legislation that will enable it to comply with Gambling Commission requirements and thence find its way on to the white list.

See also this thread:

https://www.casinomeister.com/forum...sions-on-brit-governemt-ads-white-list.19234/

 

[jetset]

Update

UK GAMBLING REFORM A FAILURE?

Twice as many staff, but an apparently reducing workload, opines UK newspaper

The UK newspaper The Guardian has published an op-ed article critical of the gambling reform developments in Britain and the impending control of the Gambling Commission, which will regulate UK gambling from September 1.

Commenting that the Commission now has, at 200 twice the staff of the old Gaming Board, the newspaper points out that two of its originally intended workloads have already disappeared - prime minister Gordon Brown has killed off the supercasinos and the world's online poker and casino companies have declined the invitation to come to Britain to be regulated.

The latter fact illustrates how the Gambling Act has failed to deliver even the government's watered-down intentions, the article claims.

The big idea was to make Britain a friendly place for online gambling operators. Britain would be pragmatic: the operators would be treated as legitimate businesses if they agreed to act responsibly.

But it hasn't worked, the article claims. A mere 14 online poker and casino operators have registered for UK licences and virtually none is a mainstream company. The explanation is simple: nobody wants to pay tax at the UK rate of 15 percent of gross profits.

The Guardian piece draws attention to the borderless nature of the world of internet gambling, where computer servers that power the websites can be located almost anywhere.

"To be able to advertise in Britain, an operator merely needs to be within the European Economic Area, so, guess what, Malta is suddenly popular. Tax rates in Malta have been cut to 2.5 percent; at the last count, 200 online gambling companies had applied for licences there. The Gambling Commission's bureaucrats in Birmingham have been bypassed," the article reveals.

"The industry's view is that Britain might care to cut its tax rate to match Malta's. That ain't going to happen: it knows the headlines in the Daily Mail would be horrible. We have a mess," the author concludes.

 

[jetset]

G-DAY ON SEPTEMBER 1ST

First virtual gambling license applicants will soon find out if they have been successful

September 1st is the date on which the UK Gambling Commission takes over control of the British gambling industry, and the 14 online gambling companies that have applied for licenses under the new dispensation will soon know whether the applications have been successful.

Advertising will be opened up to gambling companies subject to some time and content constraints, a major advantage for applicants like William Hill, the Gala Group and other online gambling firms. And in the land sector over 300 firms have applied for licenses for bookmaking and casino activities. The liberalisation of advertising has another dimension - gaming operators in other European Union countries will be empowered to advertise in Britain for the first time, and the Commission has already publiciosed its list of acceptable licensing jurisdictions (see previous InfoPowa report)

The advent of the new approach to gambling in general and online gambling in particular provides a stark contrast between the British approach of regulating and taxing Internet gambling, and that in the United States where strenuous enforcement efforts have attempted to prohibit the pastime by prosecuting gambling firm executives and forbidding financial transactions with online gambling companies.

The United States constituted a very significant percentage of the global online gambling market and the reduction in its potential as a result of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has intensified free market competition among online gambling companies in Europe and Asia.

The Gambling Commission will not seek to prevent its licensees from accessing the US market, according to a spokesperson for the UK government Department of Media, Culture and Sport: "We aren't banning people from using Web sites based in the U.K. It is up to the consumer what they do,'' the spokesperson told Bloombergs business news.

The Mediterranian island of Malta stands to benefit from the new approach. As a member of the European Economic Area and an online gambling licensing jurisdiction with a much lower taxation rate than the UK, it is attracting unprecedented attention from operators looking for a good and economically attractive home.

Malta has so far approved 152 of 180 applications for virtual gaming licenses, Kristy Spiteri, a spokeswoman for Malta's Lotteries and Gaming Authority, has revealed.

"Usually the Lotteries and Gaming Authority receives around two applications per week, however, in the past weeks it has received more than usual,'' Spiteri said.

Meanwhile, Britain's plans to open 17 new bricks-and-mortar casinos, including a supercasino, have been delayed by court challenges and political changes, and are not yet confirmed.

 

[jetset]

A NEW ERA FOR UK GAMBLING

New gambling laws to protect children and vulnerable people, cut crime and keep games fair now in force

With the passing of midnight Friday, gambling regulation took on a new purpose and appearance in the United Kingdom as the Gambling Commission took up the reins and the responsibilitiy for control.

The Gambling Act 2005, replaces legislation dating as far back as 1845, and governs nearly all forms of gambling including: gaming in arcades and adult gaming centres; betting; bingo; casinos; gambling in clubs and pubs; lotteries (except the National Lottery) and remote [online] gambling.

The Act creates the Gambling Commission, one of the most powerful gambling regulators in the world. It will be able to levy unlimited fines, withdraw licences, bring prosecutions, enter premises, seize goods and suspend and void bets.

The Act also gives a new role to local authorities, empowering more than 1 500 licensing officers (alongside 50 specialist Gambling Commission compliance officers) to inspect gambling premises to enforce the new laws.

Key changes to gambling regulation include:

* For the first time, betting shops and remote gambling sites based in the UK will be governed by a dedicated regulator, the Gambling Commission.

* Local authorities will be able to impose sanctions on operators, including limiting opening hours and reducing numbers of gaming machines.

* Local people will be able to object to new gambling licences and seek reviews of existing ones.

* New codes governing advertising come into force, requiring ads to be socially responsible and banning the use of models under 25 or linking gambling to sexual success.

* Adverts from outside Europe that fail to meet the UKs strict regulatory requirements will be banned.

* TV advertisements will be allowed for the first time, but subject to a voluntary 9pm watershed (with the exemption of betting ads during sports events).

* The membership requirement on casinos is lifted.

* Bingo clubs will be able to offer rollover jackpots.

* Questions on phone-in quizzes on TV and radio must be harder. This is to prevent pay-to-enter phone quizzes that are too easy operating as if they were lotteries and therefore evading limits on stakes and prizes and the legal requirement for licensed lotteries to give 20 per cent of profits to charity.

* Gambling operators will be required to display prominently information about responsible gambling and how to get help for problems.

* They will also have to work proactively to prevent underage gambling and contribute to problem gambling treatment and research, education and public awareness.

* Betting cheats, including sportspeople, will face a two year jail sentence.

* UK-based betting operators will be required to pass information to sports bodies to prevent cheating.

* Gambling debts will become legally enforceable, helping to ensure those who win get paid.
top

UK Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: Many people like to gamble, and for the vast majority its harmless fun. This has and always will be the case. But what has changed is the way people gamble. It used to be that you had to leave the house to place a bet, but advances in technology have changed that TVs, home computers and mobile phones have become the digital equivalent of a betting slip and casino chip.

The Government brought in the Gambling Act because most of our laws were nearly 40 years old and these developments were going unchecked and unregulated. Thats why 1 September is so important. The Gambling Act will give the Gambling Commission and local authorities unprecedented powers to ensure gambling is conducted fairly, children and vulnerable people are protected and crime is kept out.

The Gambling Act received Royal Assent in April 2005 and on 1 October 2005 the Gambling Commission was established. Since then over 50 pieces of secondary legislation have been presented after due consultation with industry, local authorities and other stakeholders. The Gambling Commission has also published licensing conditions, codes of practice and other guidance.

The Gambling Act replaces nearly all existing gambling legislation including: the Gaming Act 1845, the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963, the Gaming Act 1968 and the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976.