Regulation round-up 28 June 2016
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (22 June to 28 June 2016)
Gambling Commission signs information sharing deal with Portugal
Commission says international collaboration is “essential to effective gambling regulation”
Great Britain’s Gambling Commission has agreed a co-operation and information sharing deal with its Portuguese counterpart that aims to help both groups improve their processes and regulations.
The memorandum of understanding with the Servi?§o de Regula?§??o e Inspe?§??o de Jogos (SRIJ) is intended to “strengthen and complement” the cooperation agreement signed by the gambling regulators of EEA Member States in November 2015.
“We are pleased to announce this bilateral agreement with the SIRJ as part of our continuing co-operation,” said Nick Tofiluk, the Commission’s director of regulation.
“Working together with other international regulators is essential to effective gambling regulation and MoUs are a useful way of formalising and streamlining the procedures for information sharing as an aid to efficient and effective collaboration.”
Operators hit by South Australia tax bombshell
Operators say they will fight to stop South Australia from introducing what one wagering exec described as a “nonsense” 15% point of consumption (PoC) tax after the state’s government surprised bookies by confirming plans for the levy.
As part of its 2016-17 state budget, South Australia treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said the net wagering revenue-based tax would come into effect on 1 July 2017 and raise around $9.2m (?4.7m) annually.
“If betting companies are making profits from South Australian punters they should be paying tax in South Australia, not in whichever jurisdiction their head office and servers happen to be located,” Koutsantonis said.
Seven days in regulation:
Dutch parliament unveils amendments to Remote Gaming Bill
The Dutch House of Representatives proposed a number of amendments to the country’s Remote Gaming Bill last week, including a prohibition on operators taking bets on any sporting teams they sponsor.
Members of the lower house of the Dutch parliament are currently debating the long-awaited bill before it heads to the senate, and parties from all sides of the political spectrum have tabled amendments.
Last week, Madeleine van Toorenburg of the Christian Democratic Appeal party tabled the proposal to prevent operators from offering odds on teams or athletes partnered with the brand.
William Hill prepares for Gibraltar border disruption
William Hill has put in place “continuity plans” in case of any disruption to the Gibraltar-Spain border as the online gambling industry continues to assess the impact of the Brexit vote.
In an email to analysts and investors on Friday, the operator said the business plans could be invoked quickly to help alleviate any near-term border disruption following the UK’s vote on Thursday to leave the European Union.
Few details have been released by William Hill as to what the “business continuity plans” entail, but are believed to include providing additional accommodation to its 400 Gibraltar-based staffers.
South Australia PoC tax “untenable in practice”, says AWC
The Australian Wagering Council (AWC) has labelled a proposed point of consumption (PoC) tax in South Australia as “untenable in practice” and likely to drive punters to unlicensed offshore operators.
The POC tax, which was announced by the South Australian Treasury last Thursday, would add a new 15% tax on operators taking wagers in the state.
However several operators pledged to fight the “double taxation”, and the industry body AWC has added its voice to the protests.