UK To Restrict Gambling Website Adverts

The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced a crackdown that will restrict which non-UK gambling websites can advertise here. From September 1st, gambling sites (which appears to include poker sites) will only be allowed to advertise in the UK if they satisfy the DCMS as to the standards of their operation.

Gambling sites based in the European Economic Area (EEA) and "whitelisted" jurisdictions will be exempt from the ban. Currently the only white-listed jurisdictions are Alderney and the Isle of Man.

The ad ban is expected to hit some 1,000 sites including Betfred Casino and Poker, Interpoker.com and Littlewoodscasino.com which are all currently based in Netherlands Antilles. The ban only covers advertising by the sites and not (at least for now) their activity.

Some will undoubtedly suspect economic protectionism at the root of this, however the DCMS is adamant that the objective is player safety and security. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, James Purnell said:

"I make no apology for banning adverts for websites operating from places that don’t meet our strict standards. Protection is my number one priority."

It's not clear from reading the press release whether the ban on advertising will include sponsorship of TV shows such as late night poker tournaments. It's also unclear what happens to companies that are based in one location but regulated under another jurisdiction such as Alderney.

The new rules could also affect website owners and bloggers in the UK hoping to make money from advertising revenue... *sigh*

Labels: news, poker, uk