Over the last couple of weeks, Peter Howitt, the CEO of Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association, played a key role in the online gambling affairs in the United Kingdom.
The so called Point of Consumption tax has largely affected the gambling operators, available at the local online gambling market. Regardless of the heated debates, the new bill was put into force on Dec.1st.
The House of Lords passed the bill in March and two months later it received a Royal Assent.
As a matter of fact, the bill was supposed to come into effect earlier this year but was postponed because of disagreements between regulators and gaming providers.
Matters were taken to court because of the fact that GBGA and Howitt in particular argued that the new rules and regulations are designed in a way that is unfavorable to foreign operators.
In other words, the bill provided the UK gambling operators with a strong advantage over the foreign ones. In addition, the question about its effectiveness when it comes to security and protection was raised.
Anyway, the bill has been valid for eleven days now and Howitt gave a brief interview in which he shared his standpoint about the newly implemented changes and the attitudes of the local communities.
One of the most frequently asked questions over the last couple of months was about the influence the bill will have on the gaming operators, based in Gibraltar. Howitt said that he does not consider Gibraltar-based operators to be severely affected by the changes. What is more, he thinks that all operators are quickly adapting to the new rules.
However, there is another side of the coin. Howitt confirmed that the changes were not that harmless. On the contrary – they made some operators reconsider their presence on the UK gambling market as they felt that the marketplace provided them neither with the security necessary nor with room for further development.
Another question that was worthy of asking was about a permission, given to GBGA. The tax will be once again challenged in 2015. Howitt was reluctant to reveal too many details and said that GBGA needs to deal with some major issues.
The CEO did not deny that players and operators’ attitudes towards the changes are not too positive. Yet, he remained hopeful that things will be improved soon and the dialogue between operators and regulators will be resumed.
In conclusion, he said that the UK gambling industry has to take operators’ concerns into consideration and ensure a safe and stable gaming environment so the Association itself is perceived as a “responsible stakeholder”.
