News

Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Jurisdictional integrity emerges from UK online gambling conference

On 31 October, the UK government invited a number of governments to discuss online gambling. It organized the conference because, as it is one of the few main jurisdictions in the world that has decided to liberalise the online gambling market, it wants to promote liberalization and rules of conduct for operators.

Unlike the UK law, the regulations of most jurisdictions in the world are restrictive, from single license systems to complete bans. In a reaction to these differences, the responsible UK minister admitted that any country may choose to control gambling within its borders in a way that is appropriate to its national regulatory approach and particular circumstances.

This position is very much supported by the horseracing industry, as it supports the jurisdictional integrity of each country on gambling issues. The minister’s declaration also seems to indicate that the UK is moving away from its previously held position that UK law would govern online gambling transactions, wherever the consumer resides.

This apparent change in position may have been instigated by the recently adopted anti online gambling law in the US, which was until the ban went into force the largest online gambling market.