“The place looked a bit like a war zone. I couldn’t believe it. This is Ealing.”


Emilian Sokoli, deputy manager at a local William Hill branch


Principled booklet can help in first step


The Remote Gambling Association is using this month’s EiG event in Milan to launch its new lobbying tool to educate would-be regulators.


“


We have chosen EiG in Milan this year to publish a new booklet called: ‘Online Gambling: key objectives for a successful regulatory and tax frame- work’. It’s not a title that trips easily off the tongue, but it should leave no one in any doubt about what it covers. That is very important because the target audi- ence is really that huge group of people in the wider world, be they politicians, officials, or regulators, who are only just beginning to think about how they might accommodate our sector in their juris- dictions. It reflects our experience of discus- sions in the various emerging markets and our key message is that the more of these objectives that countries can achieve then the greater the chance of their new regimes being successful. We have deliberately sought to make it non-region specific because, although


eturns to forms


e changes it has made to the regulatory returns process, largely as a result of feedback ming into effect on 3 October 2011, the Commission’s director of corporate affairs, ps they need to take as the changeover approaches.


challenged.


In addition, there are changes to the informa- tion required from remote betting operators, includ- ing telephone only: • only one set of answers covering all sectors is now required regarding the details of customer accounts • a new question has been added to provide separate information on accounts held in Great Britain (GB) and those held overseas • the number of player sessions and number of unique players are no


longer required • the betting category is expanded to include betting on golf, tennis, cricket and financial, and is also split into two sec- tions for real events and virtual events. To help licence holders with completion of the new online forms, we are introducing a comprehen- sive on-screen help system. And while we would prefer returns to be submitted online we do understand that a few businesses still prefer to complete a paper form - so new paper forms, with


updated guidance notes, have been available from 1 September. Finally, a reminder regarding online submis- sions - if the end date for the period covering your regulatory return falls at the end of September you will still be able to fill in your return online over the weekend of 1 and 2 October, before the changeover to the new forms on Monday 3 October. However, you must submit your return by midnight on 2 October, to avoid losing your sub- mission in the changeover.


BettingBusinessInteractive • SEPTEMBER 2011 39


it sometimes seems that we are awash in new licensing regimes, the truth is that around the world there are still remarkably few jurisdictions with sus- tainable regulatory and taxation systems for the private sector gambling industry.


The booklet therefore tries to focus on principles rather than detail. So, for instance, with regard to social responsi- bility it calls for appropriate and propor- tionate measures to be put in place. It does not list what they might be, although there is a reference to the CEN Workshop Agreement and some of the examples to be contained in that. For us the intention is to provide almost an entry-level introduction for those in official circles who are new to the industry and also to be clear about what that industry needs in order to operate effectively, safely and profitably.


It is the sort of document that we can readily leave behind after initial meet- ings in newer jurisdictions and then use it as a basis to build on.


Of course, interaction with opinion formers will be undertaken not just by trade organisations like the RGA, but also by its individual members and by other companies that are not RGA members. Irrespective of whoever is responsible for that kind of engage- ment, we would like to think that the booklet might be a useful tool for them to use. We therefore looked at what opportu- nities there might be to raise its profile and, as EiG has for several years been the largest trade event for the industry, it was the most obvious place to hold the launch and, as ever, the team at Clarion could not have been more helpful in making the necessary arrangements.


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