Questions over Online Casinos Leaving the UK

As reported last week, William Hill, Ladbrokes and other major British bookmakers will be moving their online casino and betting services from the United Kingdom to offshore locations.

William Hill plc, for example, will be moving its operations to its Gibraltar headquarters. Ladbrokes has now announced it will do the same before the year is out.

Both online casino companies have decided on the moves mainly for tax reasons, since Gibraltar charges gambling companies a lower tax rate than the UK - 1.5% compared to the UK's 15%.

Gibraltar's policy encourages online casino companies to move operations to its territory. It easily beats the high taxes that companies must pay if based in the UK, which is "unsustainable," according to Ladbrokes Chief Executive, Chris Bell.

Greater Effect
But is the move - basically a financial decision of the companies - cause for concern for the UK online gambling industry? Will they be out of the reach of regulators?

British sports leagues think so. They have reportedly asked the UK government to clarify whether Ladbrokes, William Hill and the other online casino companies still be required to share information and disclose suspicious betting patterns.

No Cause for Alarm
Examples of international efforts involving sport leagues and associations in full cooperation with online casinos and sportbooks abound. The tennis example and common sense point at the joint motivation of all involved to keep gambling clean.

Sportbooks stand to lose as much as the games themselves if the betting is rogue. Would players bet if they suspect results are fixed.

Would you?