Setting the scene
Online gaming has come in leaps and bounds since its very first few steps taken from the traditional land-based casino way of gambling; which only stands to reason why there should be an updated, comprehensive and fully regulated gambling authority (and law) present for all casino online players located in the United Kingdom.
The UK Gambling Commission, which regulates the UK Gambling Act that has been in effect since the 1st of December 2014, is the authoratative body that ensures all gambling services that operate with the UK shores are fully compliant with all the UK’s regulations.
In order to fully grasp the legalities of the UK gambling law, and how it has profoundly (as well as fundamentally) changed since the 2005 Gambling Act, one needs to take a look at then and now to see the marked differences.
Tell Me More?
In order to fully grasp the relevant changes made to the Gambling Act in the UK, perhaps the below table will suffice in highlighting the differences between the Gambling Act of 2005 and 2014.
| Gambling Act of 2005 | Gambling Act of 2014 |
| ‘Point-of-supply’ taxation applied to offshore gambling operators | Gambling operators that hold a UK gambling licence are taxed a fixed 15% POC (point of consumption) tax |
| Advertising permitted from offshore gambling operators that hold a licence from a whitelisted territory (e.g. Gibraltar / Alderney) | ONLY gambling operators that hold a UK gambling licence will be allowed to advertise in the UK accordingly |
| Regulation only deemed necessary from jurisdiction of obtained licence | In order for gambling operators to be allowed to operate in the UK, a UK gambling licence will need to be obtained. Upon application, the operator will need to prove they have policies in place whereby UK consumers will be regulated according to Responsible Gaming processes, and the like. |
| Only land-based and online gambling operators that are located on British soil need obtain a UK Gambling licence. All offshore gambling operators and online operators can accept custom from UK players | All gambling operators (land-based and online) are in need of obtaining a UK Gambling Licence, to be obtained via the UK Gambling Commission. |
Important note for all gambling operators to take away from this quick-glance introspective of the UK Gambling Law would be to bear the below in mind at all times:
**It is deemed an offence and Gambling Act violation to offer custom to UK residents without a UK Gambling Licence.
In Summation
The fact that there are stringent rules and regulations put into place when wanting to perform the act of gambling in the UK is a marvellous thing; a point to be considered especially when pondering the importance that Responsible Gaming aspects hold within the UK Gambling Act of 2014.
When any given casino online gambling site is fully compliant with the UK Gambling Commission and in possession of the UK Gambling Licence, as is the case with the fun-filled mFortune Casino brand, then only great gaming experiences that are completely safe, secure and to be trusted can be expected to follow.
The gambling laws in the UK have indeed tightened up somewhat, including having not only hiked the tax percentage up for all gambling operators but also making it mandatory to be in possession of a UK Gambling licence to be able to operate at all. With these types of changes, although it may appear to be one-sided and only a means to tighten control and monitoring capabilities, what this current UK Gambling Act provides for the online casino gambling individual is a system that is regulated, with enough procedures and processes in place to ensure the player receives the best experience all around.
