As the online gambling went through unprecedented growth and became a successful international industry over the past decade, the UK authorities have been among the first to understand the necessity of elaborating new legal grounds to support this business. In this article, www.Onlinecasinoportal.net is going to discuss the existing UK laws regarding the online casinos.
The major gambling law applied in the United Kingdom dates back to1963 – the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act, referring to betting, lotteries and games of chance. It was later completed by the Gaming Act 1968, and the Lotteries and Amusements Act of 1976, specifying how to win and cash out prizes. The Gaming Act of 1968 considers online gambling legal and available to all UK citizens, willing to gamble from their homes, but it does not allow online casino companies to be based in the UK, encouraging them to acquire offshore licensing. As a result, many British operators turned to bad reputation for conducting unethical business and players were very much concerned for their own safety, making the online gaming in UK mostly undesirable.
Having no definite framework for legal local business, the act of 1968 appeared somehow outdated after 2000, when attitudes to online gambling clearly changed and the technological advancement turned it into a popular and appealing form of entertainment. New specific laws were absolutely required to shape the innovative and wealthy industry.
Subsequently, the government adopted the Gambling Act of 2005, which simplifies the procedure of gambling online for players, who are now allowed to gamble without any red tape, by simply creating an internet account. Moreover, the new act authorizes online casinos to be based in the UK (however many of them still prefer to get their license in Gibraltar due to tax advantages).
The Gambling Act of 2005 also established the Gambling Commission, which is nowadays Great Britain’s regulatory body for gambling, including online gambling, taking over the duties of the previous Gaming Board in regulating betting, bingo, casinos, slot machines and lotteries. The main responsibilities of the institution are: to issue licenses to operators located in the UK; to protect underage and vulnerable persons from frauds and illegalities, to make sure online gambling business is conducted in a fair and open way.
The licenses are granted in accordance with the requirements stated in the Gambling Act 2005, imposing very high standards on British online casinos, which are considered one of the most reputable and reliable in the world. The licensees are subjected to frequent visits and examinations of their financial activities.
The United Kingdom is one of the first European countries to recognize the legality of nearly all forms of gambling, an activity very well regulated and controlled by the Gambling Commission. www.Onlinecasinoportal.net encourages gamblers to play at UK online casinos, as they are regulated by very strict laws and always display a fair attitude towards their customers.
The first European country to establish a taxed and regulated internet gaming industry proved to be a success and a good example for all the other EU countries, which are now trying to regulate online gambling in a similar way.
