Online Gaming in the United Kingdom

Locations such as the United Kingdom are cultivating a fast interest in online games of all sorts. These range from videos games to role playing games, to everything in between. Action role playing games are not only one of many growing interests, but they are starting to attract the attention of legal parameters. Much the same as other internet based videos, changes have been made such that there are cases of real money being transferred. In some cases that money is a simple bet. In others, it is a means of adding accoutrement to a character or to invest in more options. In addition to lovers of the video game Kingdom Hearts, fans are starting to branch into other online games, like online poker or card games. Gaming remains a thriving business in the United Kingdom where there are land based casinos in conjunction with poker rooms situated throughout the country. There are also websites like casinoelarab.com which might allow for video gambling.

The Responsibilities of the Gambling Commission

The Gambling Commission assumed full oversight responsibilities two years following the Gambling Act of 2005. The Gaming Board for Great Britain gave many of their previous responsibilities over at this juncture, allowing the newly enforced commission full responsibility over the regulation for online gambling. In 2014, the Gambling Commission assumed responsibility for the regulation of the National Lottery as well.

According to this law, the commission has the power to issue gambling licenses to operators, to revoke said licenses if necessary, and to impose fines. The key purpose of the commission revolve around the prevention of gambling as a source for crime, support of criminal activities, or disorder. It is also responsible for maintaining gambling as a fair and open sport. Children and vulnerable persons are protected by the commission from exploitation or harm related to gambling. The Gambling Commission can issue licenses for online services to UK residents or companies based in the UK only.

Who Can Legally Gamble

In the United Kingdom, citizens over the age of 18 can legally gamble online or off. Additionally, the online gambling sites offered by UK based businesses are heavily regulated such that you can place bets safely if you remain on sites with official licenses. Gambling winnings in the United Kingdom are not considered taxable income and as such, no winnings from gaming or betting need to be declared. The gambling operators are taxed, but this placed no financial burden on the players.

Current Changes

As of late there is currently a new gambling bill which proposes that any gambling site advertising services within the United Kingdom must hold an official license as offered by the Gambling Commission. As it stands presently, sites can operate within the United Kingdom so long as they have licenses from a gambling jurisdiction, but the proposed changes would put a stop to this, only allowing those UK based sites and services to operate and advertise to UK based residents. This bill remains a possibility, but one which does not impact the legality of gambling online in the UK itself.