The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) today announced that overseas based gambling operators who advertise in the UK may face new requirements. The UK government is to explore ways to make the system fairer to ensure a more level playing field between British businesses and their overseas counterparts. This is in response to rapid technological advances in online gambling, as well as the changing international regulatory landscape.

The DCMS and the Gambling Commission will look at a number of issues, including securing fair contributions from overseas licensed operators towards the costs of regulation, the treatment of problem gambling and the Horserace Betting Levy. The Horserace Betting Levy is an annual fee that is collected from bookmakers and distributed to the Horserace Betting Levy Board to fulfil its three statutory purposes. These are the improvement of breeds of horses; advancement of veterinary science and veterinary education; and the improvement of horseracing.

The Department will also look at the existing controls that apply to operators licensed overseas to ensure the rigorous consumer protections introduced by the Gambling Act continue to be upheld. Jurisdictions outside of the European Economic Area can be considered for inclusion on the list, known as the 'whitelist, of countries that may advertise their gambling operations in the UK.

Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe said, "Technology has evolved at an incredible pace and online gambling has changed significantly since the Gambling Act was passed. Now is the right time to take stock of developments in Europe and elsewhere to make sure our regulatory system is as fair and robust as possible for all operators able to advertise their services in the UK.”

He added, "It is early days so I do not want to pre-empt the outcome of this work - but getting a fairer deal for UK operators and ensuring continued consumer protection are my top priorities." The DCMS will consult a range of experts, including the remote gambling industry, and will report findings to Parliament before the end of 2009. (E-05.01.09)

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