“White List” taken out from UK online Gambling

Upcoming changes to UK Online Gambling Laws will make the British gambling market more secure.

The UK online gambling laws are to be changed soon, aiming for the replacement of the “White List” with proper license requirements. The “White List” allowed gaming licenses issued by certain jurisdictions to be considered as UK issued licenses. The announcement has been made by the Economic Development Minister, John Penrose.

Absolute changes
It has been expected for the UK laws to be changed for quite a while now, after the news pointing to the US stranglehold on online poker sites and the license deferment of Full Tilt Poker by Alderney (a “White List jurisdiction”).

After the new regulations applied, foreign companies that enter the UK gambling market will have to apply for a UK license, in all that relates to Internet. The laws couldn’t be more “sweeping”.

The “White List”
According to the ruling system, operators licensed in the EEA (European Economic Area) and also in the jurisdictions that the UK recognizes as legit (“White Listed”), are allowed to prosper over UK consumers.

However, the new system to be applied will not allow extraterritorial licenses and will entail domestic licenses instead. It is very similar to the systems active in France and Italy.

Protection and Taxes
The new system is expected to offer a higher level of protection to UK consumers. This way, all the players in the United Kingdom will not be forced to deal with licenses in foreign languages anymore. Also, the new laws will support British gaming companies in their competition with the foreign ones, who do not pay any of the taxes inside the UK. Foreign competitors are accessing the market in the UK without having to contribute to the costs of regulation, research and gambling problems treatment.

Gambling Commission
There have been demands coming from the right, like the Conservative MP Matthew Hancock, that the gambling companies should operate from inside the UK. Because that is rather not going to happen, the “White List” will have to be soon replaced.