Lobbying concerns hit British gambling review
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Some of the largest online casino and sportsbetting operators in the UK have been lobbying the government not to implement a range of proposed safeguards. Flutter Entertainment, Entain and Bet365 met with officials from Her Majesty’s Treasury and Her majesty's Revenue and Customs last year to warn of a real risk to the industry.
The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing to release a 'white paper' of wanted changes to the nation's online and land-based gambling landscape. This could ultimately result in the emergence of a mandatory responsible gambling levy and stricter affordability checks.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is preparing a review of the current retail and online gambling landscape of UK in December 2020. There are growing concerns that too many people are suffering as a result of current gambling laws.
The executives from Flutter Entertainment, Entain and Bet365 held an online meeting in October of last year to warn against the implementation of some of the proposed regulations. The conference was not automatically disclosed because it involved tax officials rather than government ministers.
Bet365 and Her Majesty's Treasury are discussing the regulation of gambling industry. They claim it's normal for the government to meet with stakeholders from the industry to hear their views.
Matt Zarb-Cousin from Clean Up Gambling is concerned about the lobbying campaign aimed at watering down the proposed reforms. British iGaming firms have for many years faced criticism for basing their operations in overseas jurisdictions such as Malta and Gibraltar where tax rates are lower.
