SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Gaming operator William Hill has confirmed that it wants to keep its operational base for its digital betting service in Gibraltar, despite the impending UK Gaming tax clampdown which is set to cost the operator millions of pounds. William Hill, the UK’s biggest gaming brand, set up operational offices in Gibraltar, allowing it to market and acquire British gamblers, whilst benefiting from the small Gibraltar corporations tax.
The British Government is planning to impose a 15% on gaming operator winnings, to be implemented with effect this upcoming December 2014. The UK HMRC and treasury expect to yield around a £300m from taxes generated from gaming operators.The decision by William Hill to remain in Gibraltar will be will be welcomed by Gibraltar’s authorities, who are concerned of an exodus by gaming operators, who will no longer be able to operate under local tax terms.
Andy Lee, MD of William Hill Interactive commented – “Our staff are very happy there and there are reasons why we will remain there in order to be competitive in this market.”
William Hill rcently opened offices in East Londons ‘Tech City’, in order to tap into the pool of high grade engineers and developers available in London. William Hills Tech City offices will be limited to 40-50 people, working on innovation and game development for William Hill igaming services, with an emphasis on new channel delivery – concentrating on mobile verticals
Jamie Hart, William Hill’s head of innovation. “It’s going to be a perfect World Cup for us because the earliest kicks off are about 5pm [UK time] and then you go to around midnight,” .William Hill is an England sponsor. That partnership will allow them access to players for video clips during the tournament, which they see as an advantage over betting rivals”
