Irish and British Gambling Industries Await Important Publications

Ireland has been thinking about introducing a different scheme of taxation for the remote gambling companies for quite some time now. The changes to Irish gambling laws have been in legal drafting stage until now. Finally, the legislation is about to be published.

Online casinos in Ireland and other industry players are very curious just how the government will tax the industry, which is mostly based offshore. The proposals were already known and have been heavily discussed this year. They focus on a 1 percent turnover tax plus 15 percent tax on all betting exchange commissions.

Ireland gambling news report that Simon Coveney, cabinet minister, is certain that the draft regulation will pass the European Commission approval, allowing the country to implement new laws as early as beginning of 2013.

Online sportsbooks in Ireland along with the rest of the gambling industry eagerly await the publication of new tax laws for operators, scheduled for later this week.

The gambling laws of Ireland’s big brother, Britain, also received some media light. British Culture, Media and Sport Committee has been carrying out a study on online gambling business, and is also due to publish the results this week.

The Committees consultation topics will answer just how effective the Gambling Act has been in:

• Making sure that gambling is operated in a crime-free environment and is carried out openly and in a fair manner;
• Protecting underage and vulnerable people from the damaging effects of gambling;
• Regularly updating the legislative framework in regards to internet gambling.

The Committee study will also reveal:

• What financial implication the Gambling Act had on the British gambling industry;
• How effective the Gambling Commission has been since its creation;
• What effect the growth of off-shore online gambling operators had on the British gambling sector and what effect the Gambling Act has had on the off-shore companies;
• Why the Gambling Act did not result in issuing of any new licenses for casinos or “super” casinos;
• How effective the classification and regulation of various gaming machines has been under the Gambling Act;
• What impact the Gambling Act has had on different levels of problem gambling in United Kingdom.