William Hill to Move Offshore

Although it was not unexpected, the news that gambling giant William Hill is moving its online division to the offshore haven of Gibraltar has been met with some concern by many sections of the UK.

The government will be losing literally millions of dollars in tax revenues, since William Hill will no longer be obliged to pay the high 15% taxes imposed on local gambling groups.

In addition, sporting groups have expressed their concern that offshore groups are not obliged to share information regarding match fixing and corruption, and that an exodus of sportsbetting groups could mean trouble.

The Sports Rights Owners Coalition said: “William Hill's move takes one of the UK's biggest betting operators outside the remit of the UK's licensing regime, including the information sharing requirements we campaigned for. It is a worrying development and we will be seeking an urgent meeting with Gerry Sutcliffe to discuss the effects this will have.”

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