Following recent confirmation that the government hopes to introduce the Gambling (licensing and advertising) Bill during this parliament, the Department of Media, Culture and Sport told InterGame that it is “not the case that the licensing reforms are being pursued in order to generate tax income.”
“The bill and the Treasury’s remote gambling taxation reforms are, while complementary, independent of one another,” said a DCMS spokesperson.
“The government’s remote gambling bill is about public protection and we would therefore proceed with the reform of remote gambling regulation, to provide strong, consistent and easily understood consumer protection measures for all British based consumers of remote gambling services, regardless of the status of any tax plans.”
Submissions to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee from some of the industry’s biggest operators assert that the current regulatory arrangement functions well and suggest that the bill is ultimately about increasing the tax-take in the UK.
“Taxation is a separate matter,” insists DCMS. “The remote gambling regulation will provide a level playing field between UK and overseas gambling operators. The UK market is extremely competitive and we expect consumers to have a wide choice following implementation of the regulatory reforms.”
The government remains optimistic of passing the legislation during this parliament while opponents advise they will pursue a judicial review if the proposals are not reconsidered.
Read much more on the Gambling Bill in the forthcoming issue of iNTERGAMINGi.
Pictured: Culture Secretary Maria Miller
