The State of Gaming
in the UK
Melanie Ellis of Harris Hagan solicitors provides a timely update on the current state of the UK Gaming Industry
I 10
t is four years since the Gambling Act 2005 came into force, and the Government is now undertaking a review of the Act, looking at its impact on both the remote and non- remote sectors.
A consultation was launched earlier this summer, asking questions such as how effective the Act has been in meeting the core licensing objectives, what the financial impact of the Act has been on the gambling industry, how the proliferation of off- shore online gambling has affected the industry and why the Act has not resulted in any new licences for casinos.
Responses to the Government’s consultation are a useful barometer to the state of the UK gambling industry at the present time. Respondents represent a wide variety of interested parties, including large operators such as Gala and William Hill, bodies representing the
interests of problem gamblers such as GamCare and the GREaT Foundation, local licensing authorities, industry bodies and religious groups. From operators and industry groups the message is that the industry is experiencing difficult times, due to a combination of the regulatory burden, tax increases and other factors such as (for land- based operators) the smoking ban. The Gala Coral Group points out in its response that the combination of these factors resulted in a 30% reduction in profits.
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