UK GAMBLING COMMISSION PREPARED TO ACCEPT VALIDITY OF EXTERNAL LICENSES

Posted 1/27/11 : dvertising white list regulators would be favourably considered
 
ICEi at London's Earl's Court this week has been the scene of several key conferences in addition to the massive expo of internet gambling technology and products. Key government and business executives attending the event have made some interesting observations, one of the more practical being from the head of the UK Gambling Commission, Jenny Williams, who told the publication Gambling Compliance that the Commission is considering the acceptance of bona fide regulatory checks carried out in other jurisdictions.
 
Such a move will be welcomed by online gambling operators licensed in offshore jurisdictions and concerned at recent suggestions that a form of secondary licensing and possibly expensive re-inspection may be required by the UK authorities as a prerequisite for being allowed to continue advertising in the UK market.
 
Williams told the publication that the Commission would be ‘happy' to accept bona fide regulatory checks and monitoring imposed by other jurisdictions, especially those accepted on the Commission's advertising ‘white list' such as Gibraltar, Malta, Alderney, and Antigua.
 
Williams emphasised the need for the Commission to be satisfied that all of its regulatory requirements were met, and if there were ‘gaps' in an operator's licensing regime then these would have to be addresses through additional inspection and testing.
 
“We are very happy to outsource to another regulator, or if they do not have the capability then to a consultancy group,” Williams told Gambling Compliance, explaining that the Commission has limited resources and does not plan to expand its staffing levels.
 
The publication reports that Williams opined that a change in licensing rules could be done relatively quickly during the next parliamentary session and would not require a change in primary legalization but merely amendments to the 2005 Gambling Act. There may be tax implications for offshore operators in such a move, she suggested.