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An explanatory sheet has been released by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) on the matters related with the proposals for gambling commission fees from April 2017. In 2016, there were some changes proposed in the annual fee structure, which were expected to have a negative impact on a number of online gambling operators. The latter are expected to be affected by larger costs compared with previous years, but there are also many companies who are expected to face a massive reduction in their costs thanks to the new annual fee…

An important year for the UK gambling industry is coming to a close. A year that saw six of the local market’s leaders tie-up in multi-billion merger and acquisition deals, the beginning of what could grow into a massive crackdown on fixed-odds betting terminals, and online gambling cement its position as the leading industry sector. Stiff regulations, new tax regimes, technological innovation, increased costs, and ever-growing competition have necessitated unprecedented merger and acquisition activity over the past several years. With the Government gearing up for a new clampdown on the…

Further regulation may prove to be detrimental to the UK gambling industry, according to John Heaton, Chairman of Scottish independent bookmaker Scotbet. Mr. Heaton wrote in an opinion piece for The Scotsman that stricter regulatory measures, increasing costs, and competition have already taken their toll and will further affect the industry in near future. Over 300 betting shops across the UK faced closure over a two-year period, including ones located in Scotland. Mr. Heaton pointed out that Scotbet had to shutter over 25 retail facilities over the past several years,…

Irish media has spread the word that the country’s Department of Justice has shown solid indications that it will progress a Gambling Control Bill, introduced back in 2013, through the government at the earliest possible opportunity. It was in 2011 when Irish lawmakers first announced plans to modernise the country’s obsolete gambling laws and to do that as quickly as possible. It then took almost two years for the above-mentioned Gambling Control Bill to be introduced by Alan Shatter, the then-Minister for Justice and Equality of the Republic of Ireland.…

It has been an event-filled year for the UK gambling industry as the local market has been growing to become among the largest ones. A new gambling giant was formed after months of trying to overcome regulatory obstacles, fears of fixed-odds betting terminals crackdown has been shrouding retail businesses all over the nation for months now, and a major gambling operator has been fighting demons that have been hitting its profitability severely. These are few of the top stories to have been covered broadly over the past year. More about…

A record total of 347 National Lottery players became millionaires this year, UK National Lottery operator Camelot Group has revealed. They all shared the amount of £862 million. In comparison, there were 341 lottery players to win a jackpot of over a million back in 2015. The highest Lotto jackpot generated this year totalled £66 million. It fell on 9 January to a Scottish family and a player who preferred to remain anonymous. The biggest jackpot scooped by a single player amounted to £35 million this year. It was in…

Tax (and possibly tough) times are coming for UK-facing gambling operators, as it became clear earlier this month that freeplays and other related incentives and comps offered to iGaming players will be taxed from 1 August 2017. Tax changes are probably the regulatory amendments most feared by gambling companies because they often come as a big hit to their profits. This will certainly be the case with the taxable treatment with freeplays. At a rough estimate, the amount of £345 million is expected to be generated in freeplays taxes from…

Considering the increased scope of the British online gambling market and its great appeal to local customers, virtual currencies have become a matter of importance to both online gambling operators and their clients. This is exactly the reason why a few months ago the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) issued a special discussion paper focused on virtual currencies, eSports and social gaming. The British gaming regulatory authority revealed that it was looking for opinions on crucial matters related to the above-mentioned issues in order to get a better perspective of the…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) revealed that UK-licensed gambling operators will face a new fee structure in the industry. As announced by the UKGC, the new fee structure is to be officially released on April 6th, 2017. The Commission published a notice on its website, providing more details on the results of its consultation with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport over the proposed license fee structure mentioned above. As a result, more than 1,900 companies would benefit from the fees, as their tax payments would be reduced. However,…

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has granted the gaming service provider Gaming Innovation Group Inc.’s subsidiary BettingCloud Ltd with a Class 4 Remote Gaming License. Basically, this is a business-to-business supplier license that is to provide the company’s affiliate to offer other licensed operators its sports betting product. The Chief Executive Officer of Gaming Innovation Group Robin Reed commented on the newly-acquired license, describing it as a major milestone for the company on the sports betting vertical. He explained that Gaming Innovation Group was to still branch out in the…