Launch of UK Gaming Act to Be Put Back One Month

UK online gamers can breathe a sigh of relief – at least temporarily.

As we recently reported, the long-awaited Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 (GLAAA 2014) in that country was due to come into force tomorrow, 1 October, 2014.

The previous article by the eminent Bob Smith explains at length the implications of the Act and how things will change after its realization, so we won’t go into that here.

However, we can report that the GLAAA 2014’s implementation has been postponed by exactly 1 month, ie. until 1 November, 2014, so it seems it is business as usual for now.

Indeed, one big player has just extended a generous Free Spins offer to UK players.

Major statutes like this often do meet with last minute hold-ups in the UK, but it seems that there is a more specific factor at play here.

One of the jurisdictions which stands to lose most from the ramifications of the GLAAA 2014 is Gibraltar.

This is because online casinos (and potentially gaming software developers who had previously held a license on the Rock) will now need to hold a UK-issued license if they wish to continue to serve players there.

This is also the case with other jurisdictions of course, but it’s particularly poignant in the case of Gibraltar due to the latter’s special relationship with the UK.

Again as we reported in Casino Daily News, Gibraltar’s Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA), the licensing-issuer there, has mounted a brave appeal to the UK Government in the High Courts in London.

And it is only this week that the hearings have been taking place – they are in progress at the time of writing – with the outcome as yet unclear.

This to-ing and fro-ing seems hardly likely to soothe confidence in the UK gaming situation, swingeing as the new Regulations are.

The GBGA were the driving force between obtaining the extension at least, but that said it probably doesn’t look to good for them.

Oe argument that the GBGA has mounted is that the UK is using the increased protection as a way of raising extra revenue, which is of course in violation of EU trade edicts.

For their part the UK Government’s lawyers have argued that EU edicts do not apply in UK-Gibraltar trade relations; Gibraltar is an overseas territory rather than a more autonomous Crown Dependency.

Perhaps buoyed by the recent ‘No’ vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum, our money is not on little Gibraltar to win out in this one, however unfair that may be.

We will of course continue to update you on the situation and on which major online casinos are staying in the UK market and which are not.