Last Friday the Royal Courts of Justice has decided that the claims of the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association are not convincing enough. The Gibraltar authorities had pretensions towards the Gambling Act the United Kingdom just put forward but the Court experts came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with the new rules and regulations that are to be implemented by the Gambling Commission of the United Kingdom.
Every gaming provider that would like to remain available on the UK market, needs to be given a license. In addition, higher tax rates are proposed.
Lord Justice Green, who was in charge of taking the tough decision on Friday, considered all the GBGA arguments to be groundless. According to him, there is no chance for overturning the law on the pretext of violating the regulations, established in UK and the European Union.
Earlier this month, the GBGA representatives said that the amenities of the law would result in expansion of the grey market but the evidence was disapproved by Lord Justice Green as well. He said that there is no probability for boosting the illegal gambling activities or misusing the existing rules for one’s own benefit.
The next claim of GBGA concerned the passporting proposal and their demand was for reducing the paperwork and the expenses it imposes but Lord Justice Green have concluded that the arguments don’t hold water.
Needless to say, the GBGA authorities were devastated by the decision taken by the Royal Courts of Justice. In an announcement, released after the Court hearing, their spokesperson commented that GBGA is not going to give up because the members truly believe that the new implemented law is not in favor of the players. On the contrary, it will have a really negative impact on the local gambling industry.
The spokesperson also pinpointed the fact that there is a great variety of proactive approaches towards handling the issues in the gambling sector but the new law was definitely not one of them.
Another thing, GBGA is worried about, is the expansion of the grey market and the difficulties the regulators will have to face in the foreseeable future.
A European legal framework was also requested and the authorities think that the gambling industry in Europe needs one more than ever in order to protect the players against violations and help the different countries better manage the gambling activities of their residents.
The GBGA authorities haven’t filled an appeal yet. Despite being postponed several times, the new Gambling Act will become officially valid on November 1st. Although it has its fans and opponents, the expectations are for increased market share due to the poor competition as well as increased public awareness about the hazards the gambling activities cause.
