The
UK Gambling issue is still very much on the agenda of the United Kingdom Parliamentary Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport Regulating the UK Online gambling community seems to have become the priority of the moment.
Quite recently, the hearings on this issue saw the arrival of the regulators from Alderney and Gibraltar in front of the United Kingdom Parliamentary Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport. Their presence was required as according to the committee, they represented what is essentially space where online gambling activities are monitored and most importantly licensed. Any license from each Alderney and Gibraltar allow online casinos to operate as well as advertise in UK but they do not pay their taxes there. It would not be wrong to say that with the issue surrounding the UK
online gambling, they would be the first instances affected.
Each regulator provided two different points of views. Speaking on behalf of Alderney Gaming Control Authority, Andre Wilsenach stated that there was a need to more control and higher security concerning regulations for online casino gambling. One prime example cited was Full Tilt Poker who blatantly violated their license conditions. He suggested that it was important that the risk profiles of licensing parties be reviewed in-depth prior to giving it out. He as well proposed the introduction of risk rating systems to evaluate the risks of the license operators in terms of where the operators do business, under which licensing jurisdiction, what their financial processing arrangements are and other factors. It might lead to a more conclusive and more secure UK online gambling system.
On the other hand, Gibraltar Gambling Commission representative, Philip Brear gave more importance to the relations between the organisation and the UK regulators. He pointed out significant areas where UK has very much less experience than Gibraltar. He as well added that one of the most important advisers of the UK Commission operates from Australia rather than from the British Soil.
The last reports from the UK Gambling Commission indicate that the removing of the offshore regulators license has led to a decrease of 2% of online casino players. This is a matter that needs to be followed and more developments can be expected soon.
