UK Remote Gambling Laws Overview Part 1

After my last blog on the proposed changes to UK gambling regulations I thought it might be an idea to look at the way remote gambling is handled in the UK. The UK is widely acknowledged to be one of the most progressive countries with regard to regulating remote gambling. Rather than apply the attitude of many other countries with prohibitive laws they have strived to give the people what they want. It has not always worked out but the thought is there.

The UK gambling laws were changed radically in response to a directive from the EU for standardization. Many also believe that a motivating factor was a political response to the prohibition of online gambling in the USA.

In 2003 The UK took a long hard look at the changes modern gambling had undergone and decided to rid themselves of old and tired laws that were no longer of much practical use. Mainly they needed to deal with the invention of online gambling, something that has taken the gambling world by storm.

The new laws covered a concept called remote gambling which deals with not just the internet but also things such as mobile telephones, landlines, TV and radio, anything in fact that you could use to place a bet that was not attached to the actual gambling premises.

Once they had their definition they were able to go ahead and develop laws designed to regulate the remote gambling industry and its practices. For a start remote gambling operations are required to hold a different type of license to their bricks and mortar counterpart. If a company does both then it must hold two separate licenses.

If you are going to get into the area of remote gambling in the UK there are a few specific differences you should be aware of. I will take you through them in the next blog.