World-famous British bookmaker William Hill announced that it had chosen NMi to test its full selection of online casino games. The testing house will need to check whether the products meet the requirements of the UK Gambling Commission.
The bookmaker decided to have its products tested due to the new point of consumption regime that was introduced in the United Kingdom not long ago.
NMi is known to have been working with William Hill for quite some time. It examined the greater part of its Category B fixed-odds betting terminals, located in a considerable number of high street shops within the territory of the country.
Shane Kelly, head of QA and Test for the popular bookmaker, shared that the company chose NMi for their professionalism and knowledge. He also said that being such a popular company, William Hill needs to make sure that it always works in collaboration with innovative organizations that will be able to help it achieve its goals.
As already mentioned, the bookmaker decided to have its products tested due to the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act that was introduced not long ago and became effective on November 1.
Julian Borg-Barthet, currently being development manager for the Gaming division of NMi, stated that they were pleased with the opportunity to work with William Hill. He also shared that his company could certainly boast of its unmatched quality of work and extensive knowledge.
According to the new point of consumption regime, all gaming operators will have to pay a tax of 15% of their gross profits on businesses that involve UK customers. That is, the companies will be subjected to the afore-mentioned tax, no matter whether they are headquartered within the United Kingdom or somewhere outside the country.
It was suggested that due to the new Act, tax revenues amounting to £300 million per year will be generated and will go to HM Revenue & Customs.
According to Priti Patel, currently an Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, the new regulations offer a “fairer tax system” for gambling operators. A great number of companies have moved their headquarters outside the UK in an attempt to avoid paying local taxes. With this new Act, however, they will not be able to escape taxation.
The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) stated that the new regulations will most certainly affect the industry in a quite unpleasant manner.
Clive Hawkswood, RGA’s CEO, shared that the Act will lead to a significant increase in the cost that operators need to pay, so as to be able to deliver their services in the UK. That is, a lot of companies will probably reconsider their intention to invest in the local gaming market.
What is more, according to the RGA any tax rate above 10% GPT will be quite unreasonable. Yet, the members of the association are well-aware that HM Treasury is not particularly likely to review its decision at this point.
Mr. Hawkswood shared that they hope the thriving iGaming market both in the UK and around the world will help gaming operators cope with the “new tax burden”.
