British Territories Split on Online Gambling Regulation Issues

While the UK special parliamentary committee on gambling regulation is meeting to discuss the possibility of new taxation and regulation, representative regulators from the British overseas territories Gibraltar and Alderney are split about the issues.  These two territories have a special interest in online gambling.  Thanks to the fact that online casinos operating out of these territories are able to operate in the British Isles without having to pay taxes to the Queen, a number of top online casinos have chosen to set up shop in these territories. 

Andre Wilsenach, the regulator representing the Alderney Gaming Control Authority, is on the side supporting more regulation.  His stance is understandable considering the recent unpleasantness endured by the Alderney authorities as a result of the recent indictment of their licensee, Full Tilt Poker.  Wanting to avoid future unpleasantries, Wilsenach suggested increased regulation that would mandate the monitoring of the jurisdictions in which the licensees operate and their arrangements for financial transactions. 

On the other side of the fence was Philip Brear, the regulator representing the Gibraltar Gambling Commission.  He attacked the UK Gambling Commission saying that they are inexperienced and uncooperative.  He said that the regulations that were put in place under the 2005 Gambling Act were more than enough and that he saw no need to increase the regulations at all.

The latest statistics on the issue of overseas operators show that the majority of online casino users in the UK use sites that are based outside of the British Isles.  Some casino reviews believe that the large disparity between the success of the exterritorial operators and their lack of taxation will surely tilt the scale towards the implementation of new taxes.