United Kingdom Remains Online Gambling Mecca
If you are from United Kingdom and enjoy playing online casinos, you should count yourself lucky. This is because the United Kingdom is arguably the most online gambling friendly country in the entire world.
Not only do players enjoy some of the most open and widely available online gambling opportunities on Earth, but with largely sensible regulation, players also enjoy some of the safest and secure games on the planet. This is what players might call the best of both worlds. Oh, if that wasn’t good enough, online gambling winnings are not taxed.
A History of Online Gambling in the UK
Gambling has been a part of United Kingdom’s history for centuries. Over the years, the country has seen laws gradually liberalized. It was 1961 when gambling in the country really opened up, with the legalization of off-course sports books.
Today, there are corner betting shops in nearly every town and village and the National Lottery is an institution that unites the country. There are also various brick and mortar casinos scattered throughout the mainland. Over 70% of the country is estimated to have bet online during the last year alone. It can be hard to get that many people to agree on anything, but UK citizens can apparently agree on gambling.
Online Gambling Forces Legislators to Update Laws
The first online casinos popped up in the late 1990s, and while players from many countries experienced significant efforts to prohibit games, the UK has never been under any serious pressure to limit a player’s ability to play online. With the country in a relative grey area for more than a half-decade, the Gambling Act of 2005 expressly allowed online wagering that year. Among the updates in the law, the new legislation required that any online gambling business based in the United Kingdom had to be licensed by the UK Gambling commission.
Many online gambling companies that weren’t licensed in the United Kingdom continued to offer online gambling to players located in the United Kingdom. Unlicensed companies were ultimately barred from advertising to UK residents beginning in 2014, which halted activity from less reputable online casinos.
The UK Gambling Commission Impact
Not only does the UK Gambling Commission demand its licensees meet certain requirements, the operators licensed by the Commission also must conduct themselves in a way which are in line with a code of conduct.
According to the UK Gambling Commission, licensed casinos must maintain “codes of practice” to maintain a safe and secure environment for players. Casinos must also conduct their business in an open and honest way which includes children and other vulnerable people being protected from being harmed or exploited. In addition, assistance must be given to players who are are identified as problem gamblers.
Given the large selection of licensed online casinos as well as the safety and security offered through regulated online gambling sites, means there is no real reason for players to look to unregulated online casinos when seeking out a new online casino. The protections work how they should - protecting players while promoting competition, allowing both companies and individuals a chance to thrive from the open market. Finding viable casino options is as easy as referencing UK casino reviews online. Players can also find licensed casinos by going to the UK Gambling Commission site. Online casinos may also feature the familiar “Gambling Commission” logo on the footer of their site as well.
In addition to a large selection of safe and secure casino choices, players also see significant benefit by not being taxed on their winnings. UK players also enjoy abundant payment processing options that are both safe and secure to players. Some of the most popular deposit and withdrawal options include Paypal, Neteller and a generous choice of credit and debit card options.
Because the companies that are licensed by the UK Gambling companies are some of the most well-respected and well-established casinos in the world, they also tend to offer a premier player experience. This means more games, the best software and top-notch customer service. The companies are also well capitalized to offer competitive promotions, cashback and bonuses.
Put all of this together and you have a formula that is hard to beat.
