Posted under Poker & online poker & poker laws
Over the last few years, the United Kingdom has attempted to make Britain a friendlier place for online poker rooms and casinos to do business, passing all types of new laws and regulations that allow poker rooms and casinos to operate right out of the United Kingdom with little fear of prosecution. Simply complying with regulations that prevent advertising before 9 p.m. on radio or television as well as preventing the gambling of underage children and other caveats would allow online poker rooms and casinos to operate liberally out of the Great Britain and United Kingdom with comfort. This law and regulation package was specifically designed to stimulate the United Kingdom’s gambling economy and resuscitate stalled areas where new revenue chains were badly needed. With a plan that included construction of super casinos and the resuscitation of existing casinos and areas all over the country, Tony Blair had a fixed idea in mind of how to address the problem with online poker rooms and casinos that catered to United Kingdom residents but did not pay taxes in the United Kingdom. By offering services to United Kingdom residents, offshore poker rooms and casinos take advantage of a strong economy, but contribute no taxes.
Despite all the work and effort set forth by Tony Blair in an attempt to prevent just this type of situation, the new man in charge, Gordon Brown, has levied a massive 15% remote gaming duty tax on poker rooms and casinos that operate on the Internet and are based in the United Kingdom. Why the government would want to put all this effort into creating a friendly atmosphere for online poker rooms and casinos such as Fulltiltpoker.com, and then simply pull the rug out from under the entire effort is beyond anyone’s guess. But it is blatantly obvious that no online poker room and casino would have any desire to shut down their establishment and reopen in the United Kingdom with the prospect of paying a massive gaming tax on top of the previously existing operational overhead. Online poker room and casino establishment proprietors had already previously stated that there would be very little interest in moving to the United Kingdom if the taxes there were significantly higher than 2% or 3%.
Due to the wealth of options available to gaming establishments and casinos online, there is no logical reason to open an online poker room or casino in the United Kingdom.
