Gibraltar Gets Go-Ahead for Case Against UK Online Gambling Tax

The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association has been given approval to pursue its case against the UK government's online gambling point of consumption tax by the UK High Court.

Gibraltar has been challenging the law for the past half year, as the law threatens the territory's gambling regulation industry because it requires online gaming operators who offer their services to Britons to pay a tax on those bets.

Gibraltar originally objected that the law, claiming that it is discriminatory and violates Article 56 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union. That argument was shot down in court, but now Gibraltar is arguing that the law violates European law based on the tax issue, as it would restrict the free trade of services.

Commenting on the case GBGA CEO Peter Howitt said, “I think we have a good case to make but I’m always hesitant to say we are confident in litigation, especially when you are challenging a sovereign state on an area of taxation. The litigation has a lot of elements that make success politically difficult but the Association believes there are some key issues that need to be addressed."

Casino Listings will update this story as more developments arise.