New UK Licensing Rule Announced

This story was published more than 12 years ago.

Today the Department of Culture, Media and Sports announced changes to the online gambling industry within Britain.

The major change announced is that operators that wish to service British customers will be required to obtain a secondary license from the UK Gambling Commission. This follows reports that several online gambling operators relocated to offshore locations that are deemed to be more beneficial because of lower taxes; the overall goal of this step is to help level the playing field for companies that remain in Britain.

John Penrose, the man responsible for overseeing gambling operations in the United Kingdom said, “All overseas operators will be subject to the same standards and requirements as those based in Britain, as well as being required to inform the Gambling Commission about suspicious betting patterns to help fight illegal activity and corruption in betting.”

Formerly, the United Kingdom allowed operators from outside the country to service punters if the jurisdiction they were licensed from was "white listed" or a recognized jurisdiction such as Alderney and the Isle of Man.

Rumor had it that today's announcement was to include a new tax structure, and licensing fees, however that news came and went without any new details being shed.