If you wanted to choose somewhere to live where gambling online is easiest, it would be hard to pick anywhere other than the UK.
Gamblers in the UK have an enormous number of choices when it comes to online casinos, many of which are explained at Casino.org, a top comparison site. And there’s no indication that the government wants to take any action against the internet gambling industry any time soon.
That doesn’t mean things will always be the same for online gamblers in the UK as they are today. There are a couple of areas in which gamblers will see changes over the coming years – in policy and in how they play.
One of the big changes that may be coming soon for UK online casinos is the way online gambling is taxed. At the moment the vast majority of online gambling takes place at overseas sites, mostly in jurisdictions that are ‘white listed’ so they can advertise their services in the UK. The most popular are sites based in Gibraltar, the UK territory found at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
That has caused some issues for the UK-based operators. Gambling in the UK is taxed at 15 per cent of gross revenues and all firms licensed there pay that. Meanwhile, many foreign operators pay far lower tax rates in their jurisdictions; for instance, companies based in Gibraltar pay just one per cent in taxes. This can give foreign operators an advantage when it comes to affording promotions or better odds for their players.
But this very well may change in the near future. Prime Minister David Cameron has proposed to levy that same 15 per cent tax on any operator who wishes to offer online gambling in the UK. While the UK can’t force other governments to increase their tax rates, they can require all sites who want to operate in the UK to be licensed there. That licence could then come with the associated tax rate on business in the UK.
Of course, such changes aren’t popular with operators who currently benefit from lower tax rates and many of them plan to challenge any move made to increase what they have to pay. Operators in Gibraltar, for instance, say that they’ll appeal to the European Union, claiming these new taxes are protectionist in nature. Meanwhile, the UK government says the change in licensing policy is necessary to protect its players, as the current laws mean their regulatory agencies only oversee a very small percentage of the online casino gambling done in the UK.
There’s no doubt that the face of online casinos has changed over time. In recent years, we’ve seen a move to better technology, more browser-based software and even the great innovation of live dealer play. This has allowed people to enjoy a more authentic casino experience from their homes. But the biggest change of all is currently under way in the form of mobile casinos.
While mobile gambling has proven popular, it is an industry that is in its infancy. While players have begun to get used to the idea of placing bets on their phones and tablet devices, this activity will only become more commonplace in the decade to come.
In fact, it’s likely that online casino play may primarily be done through mobile devices before too long. As smartphones, iPads, Kindles and other tablets become more widely used, entering an online casino through a mobile portal will be seen as the most convenient way to gamble. As technology improves, casinos will continue to upgrade their mobile options until they can rival the games players see on their computers today.
Another area which should experience great growth in the years to come is social gaming. Already, we’re seeing the fruits of this in the number of real money online casino games that have become available on Facebook, with more expected in the future. The UK is well poised to be at the forefront in both mobile and social gambling, as its permissive internet gambling laws and strong regulations allow companies to develop such games without fearing that they may run into legal issues.
