Could Brexit Impact Online Gambling in UK?

It’s affected just about everything else in UK daily life, from how we go on holiday to the food on the shelves in Tesco. Therefore PlayersBest haven taken a look at if and how Brexit could have an impact on online gambling here in the UK.

Will the fact that we’ve now officially left the EU impact the way in which you place you weekly acca? Or will it negatively impact your casual casino spin? Most likely not, as the UK has always regulated its own gambling through the UKGC. However, as is the case with almost everything else in our daily lives, there could be potential consequences of Brexit in the world of online gambling. These haven’t been widely covered before – which is why we’ve decided to take a look.

No Big Changes for Punters

The good news is that the impact of Brexit will have on the gambling industry most likely won’t have any real negative impact on the punters. We mentioned above that the UKGC has always regulated he online gambling industry here, therefore the rules of how any when you can gamble online are unlikely to change because of Brexit. On the other hand, changes here are more likely to come from within, as MPs have recently been putting more pressure on the UKGC to tighten up the rules when it comes to online gambling. One major change that we reported last week is the amendment to online slots, which will be enforced by October 2021.

Workforce Most Likely to Feel the Impact

At least initially the biggest impact on the online gambling industry because of Brexit will be with the ingoing and outgoing workforce. Brexit has ended the free movement of citizens between the UK and the 27 member states of the EU, this will effect the future of potential EU workers coming into the UK-based gambling industry. Simultaneously, it may also the affect the status of UK workers going to work in offices of UK gambling companies in other EU nations, most notably Malta. The Island nation is a former British colony and is home to the headquarters of many online gambling companies that also operate here in the UK.

Nowhere will the workforce impact be potentially felt more than in Gibraltar, where a great many UK online gambling companies are headquartered. Due to where it’s situated, the majority of the workforce commute from Spain into the British territory. Therefore Gibraltar’s exemption to the free movement end will be key.