The reasons for the success of gambling law in the UK
Today betting law in the UK is one of the most comprehensive in the world.
This is mainly due to the Gambling Act 2005 , signed by former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
It was from this act that sports betting and other gambling were regularized throughout the British territory.
Since 2005, according to the Gambling Commission, the numbers in the UK related to gambling have only grown!
Today the British are counting on 8,423 betting shops , and as of September 2018 the number of workers in the gaming industry was 106.670 .
From October 2017 to September 2018 the total revenue from gambling was £14.5 billion . This includes physical and online games.
About 39% of the total revenue from gambling is from the online market. That is: £5.6 billion, which in Dollar (NZD) gives $ 28.10 billion!
Currently there are 2,757 licensed operators in the UK. Statistically speaking, the British have one of the largest betting markets in the world.
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Licensing, Taxation and gaming
The licenses offered by the British are among the most coveted in the world! Especially after the 2014 Gambling Bill.
This act, complementary to that of 2005, established new rules for the performance of bookmakers in the country, especially online.
These rules are defined and controlled by the Gambling Commission . These are called license Conditions and Codes of practice or LCCP.
The LCCP defined, due to the differences between betting practices, the creation of 8 types of licence allowed in the UK :
- Arcade: places with slot machines and other machines of the genre
- Bet : fixed odds bets and totals bets
- Bingo: physical locations and online
- Casino: physical locations and online
- Gaming machines: machines in general, not only slot machines
- Betting software : software developed for placing bets
- Lottery: sweepstakes, horse bets and raffles
- Online Betting : all bets placed online, such as sports betting
NOTE: before the 2015 Gambling Bill Online betting was part of betting.
How do licenses work?
Within these 8 types of license there are subdivisions according to the activity that operators want to practice.
Operators need, together with the Gambling Commission, to apply for the specific license for the activity they want to perform.
The UK allows operators to be individuals or legal entities. Regardless of what state they have, they need to agree that:
- The person must offer fair and open bets
- The person should never exploit, harm or use children in any way, and children are not allowed to participate in the play activities
- The person should offer assistance programs, 12-step or otherwise, to help gamblers who develop an addiction or other gambling problem
Operators in the UK need to provide frequent reports on their activity. They must, yet, fight and report fraud , how money laundering .
NOTE: online betting operators who do not own equipment or use physical venues in the UK do not need a licence.
Regulatory Policies
The United Kingdom strictly supervises all operators operating in the country. Especially those who physically operate there.
How strictly?
Every gambling operator is required to keep an individual history of each bettor!
The authorities analyze all financial transactions of bookmakers and customers. They match the data with the official reports provided by the operators.
This type of measure is aimed at ensuring transparency in the gaming market. It is also important to prevent bettors from getting addicted.
Failure to comply with LCCP may prohibit activity
In the words of the Gambling Association,
"Licence holders who do not follow rules and regulations aimed at ensuring gambling is fair, safe and crime-free can expect regulatory action”
In the excerpt above, the GA states that license holders need to ensure fair, safe and crime-free betting.
Those who fail to do so are subject to regulatory action.
This means that the supervisory authorities can impose sanctions or penalties licensed operators who fail to comply with the LCCP:
- Issuing warning
- Attachment of an additional license condition
- Removing or changing a license condition
- Suspension of a license
- Revocation of a licence
- Imposition of a financial penalty
Every bettor can check which bookmakers and other operators in the UK have suffered any kind of penalty.
Just go to the Gambling Association's public registry.
1xBet-cock fights and naked women in Casino?
For the first time in history the Gambling Association interfered in the partnership of bookmakers with football clubs in the UK.
This interference occurred in the sponsorship partnership between three clubs from the Premier League with the Russian 1xBet : Liverpool , Chelsea and Tottenham .
This bookmaker is also famous for sponsoring clubs such as Barcelona and for being an official partner of the Italian Serie A.
The problem is that supposedly the 1xBet romove cockfights and casino games with women from topless .
And with this the British Gambling Association is not conniving – a demonstration of the rigor and integrity before the Russian betting giant.
The body issued a statement to the three clubs, stressing that their relationship with unlicensed operators could result in prosecution.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, according to officials, could receive “ unlimited fines ", and its directors could be arrested for advertising 1xbet.
NOTE: due to public pressure, Tottenham publicly confirmed the breakdown of the partnership with the Russian operator.
Taxation – How Much Do Operators Pay?
The taxation on top of gambling activities in the UK depends on many factors.
Annual gross revenue, type and quantity of establishments are the factors that most interfere with the taxation of operators.
Bookmakers do not pay specifically to obtain the license. The only payment they make is a annual fee to maintain licensing, which is around 3% of the operators ' total annual revenue.
The first payment is made 30 days after obtaining the license. A year later it pays again.
A physical home that offers betting on horses , with annual billing between £500,000 - £1 million , paid annually less than £8k to maintain your license.
In some cases, such as those of Bingos , of Casino and of Physical lotteries , it is necessary to pay extra fees to local authorities.
And you know what's most curious?
Operators of physical betting spaces need to report on the opening of these spaces in the newspapers. Otherwise they cannot function in the country.
Games allowed in the UK
As we could see above, virtually all gambling is allowed in the UK.
Both online and physically bettors can play on Bingos , in Casino , in Lottery and they can do sports betting .
In terms of online betting, we can use as the example the largest bookmaker British, William Hill.
Only in sports modalities are 32 different options offered by the House. Games like Poker , Blackjack and slot machines they are also part of the site's repertoire.
To Finish
Betting law in the UK is today one of the most comprehensive in the world, as it regulates the exploitation of the main types of games that exist.
Both the Gambling Act 2005 how much the 2014 Gambling Bill they are key to that.
They have made the British physical and online space a safe space for punters. The rules are clear to everyone, promoting transparency.
These rules and laws are controlled by the Gambling Association . As a supervisory and regulatory body, it:
- Defines what gambling is and its types
- Regulates the online betting market within the UK
- Distributes and controls game-related licenses
- Supervises bettors and operators
- Media the dialogue between users and betting companies
- Publicly interferes with the performance of all agents in this market
Every operator who wants to operate in the country needs to follow strict guidelines, the LCCP. They ensure the transparency and security of the market.
Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in financial punishments and even in the loss of licenses .
Finally, betting law in the UK can be a great model for New Zealand law. In New Zealand, only legal Fixed Odds Betting .
Learn all about the legalization of sports betting in New Zealand!
The success of British law is so much that in 2016 95% of bettors there Bet only on houses legalized in the country.
A percentage that indicates confidence in a legalized and strong market.
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