UK White List Who Can Advertise is Published- Includes PokerStars

UK-based online poker players at PokerStars will be glad to learn that the 'White List' of gaming jurisdictions to be exempt from the advertising ban coming into effective 1 September in the U.K. which the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) just published, includes the Isle of Man, where PokerStars recently was granted a license.

Besides the Isle of Man, Alderney was the only other gaming jurisdiction found to have a "rigorous licensing regime designed to stop children gambling, protect vulnerable people, keep games fair and keep out crime" that come under the 2005 Gambling Act taking effect this September.

Countries within the European Economic Area (EEA), including Gibraltar and Malta where a number of online gambling sites are licensed, automatically qualify to advertise in Britain under European law.

REJECTED

James Purnell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has rejected white list applications from:

DID NOT APPLY SO REJECTED: Costa Rica & Belize

Also, gambling operators in jurisdictions that did not apply to be white listed, including major online gambling centers like Costa Rica and Belize, will automatically be banned starting September.

STILL PENDING: Kahnawake & Antigua

Purnell announced that applications from Kahnawake (Canadian Reservation) and Antigua are still being considered.

Making the white list is not permission to advertise forever; The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will continue to monitor white listed jurisdictions to ensure they continue to meet 2005 Gambling Act criteria.

~1,000 GAMING COMPANIES BANNED

Independent research suggests there are around 2,300 gambling websites worldwide. Antigua is considered to have the largest number with around 537 sites followed by Costa Rica (474), Kahnawake (Canadian Reservation) (401) and the Netherlands Antilles (343).

It is estimated that up to 1,000 online gambling companies will be banned from advertising in the UK come September 1 because their gaming jurisdictions are not on the white list.

Several operators are already considering becoming licensed in white listed jurisdictions. Online-Casinos.com reported that Intercasino confirmed it would be fully licensed through Malta shortly, and that Betfred also confirmed that it is considering alternatives to its current jurisdiction of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles.

Garth Kimber, who heads up e-gaming licensing on the Isle of Man, confirmed that he had already received several enquiries in the wake of the government announcement.

PokerStars operates under a Mohawk reservation gambling license in Canada but is in the process of switching to the Isle of Man. William Hill, whose poker site is licensed in Curacao, is also in the final stages of switching to a tax haven from which it will be able to advertise to British gamblers.

A PokerStars spokesperson was quoted in an article in the Guardian today as saying, "With regards to advertising in the UK as of September, we are currently reviewing our options."

The ability of offshore gambling operators to advertise in the UK goes counter to comments made at a conference on gaming regulation last year, where Gambling Commission chairman Peter Dean said: "Everybody who offers gambling in Britain will be required to be licensed by us. This applies to terrestrial gambling as well as e-gambling."

But when then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announced the unexpectedly high 15% remote gaming duty this spring, none of the major internet operators sought to become licensed in the UK. One called the rate "a joke".

Many online gaming companies had previously stated that they would not seek a UK license if the new remote gaming tax were higher than 2 or 3 percent.

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