UK Online Poker Laws
Introduction
The Gambling Act of 2005 was a revolution for UK
online gambling laws. Commercial online poker is 🍐 now fully regulated across Great
Britain to ensure you have the best, safest experience possible. A government body
called the 🍐 Gambling Commission issues licenses to approved online casinos and monitors
them closely to ensure standards are met at all times. 🍐 They're here to regulate every
aspect of the online poker industry.
On this page you're going to learn in detail about
🍐 UK online poker laws, how they are interpreted and the role of the Gambling Commission
in policing the online casinos 🍐 who deliver your entertainment. In answering some of the
most frequently asked questions about UK online poker laws, we'll touch 🍐 on these themes
and more:
Can UK residents play online poker legally?
How to know if an online poker
site is safe
Tax 🍐 laws as they apply to poker players online
The role of the Gambling
Commission
Is it legal to play online poker in 🍐 the UK?
Let's start with the question
that matters most to UK poker lovers. You'll be happy to know it's fully 🍐 legal to play
online poker in the UK, providing you are aged 18 or over and have permission to
operate 🍐 the device your are accessing the online poker site with.
"Online poker is
completely legal for UK players and everything's in 🍐 place to keep you safe and secure
online."
Am I safe playing online poker in the UK?
Providing you stick to trusted,
🍐 licensed poker websites, and play sensibly at all times, it's extremely safe to play
online poker from the UK. The 🍐 danger comes when you visit an untrustworthy site, or one
without the requisite security measures in place to protect your 🍐 personal and banking
details. Play at an unsecured site without a license and you play at your own risk.
How
do 🍐 I know if a poker site is safe?
Legal UK poker sites are granted licenses by the
Gambling Commission. To check 🍐 if the site you want to play at has a license, simply
enter the details here [1] and perform a 🍐 search on the name.
Do I have to pay tax on my
online poker winnings?
"Great news for the card sharks. There's 🍐 no tax to play on your
online poker winnings!"
Good news here too. There is no tax due on your online 🍐 poker
winnings in the UK. We used to think the ruling came down to whether your online
gambling activity constituted 🍐 a full-time profession (in which case you'd owe), but a
case cited by HM Revenue and Customs [2] found even 🍐 the full-time gambler should be
exempt of tax on his or her winnings.
What counts as illegal activity when playing
online 🍐 poker?
It is illegal to falsify your identity or create fake accounts at an
online poker website, and thus potentially benefit 🍐 from a promotion multiple times.
Cases such as this have been tried and prosecuted. It is also illegal to collude 🍐 with
other players in rigging an online poker game or tournament.
In terms of banking
practices, it should go without saying 🍐 that all funds deposited must be the property of
the player.
Who protects UK online poker players online?
The Gambling Commission is
🍐 responsible for making online poker safe and secure for UK players. All sites awarded
licenses from the Gambling Commission have 🍐 to meet a high standard of
requirements.
Role of the Gambling Commission
The Gambling Commission in classed as an
"independent non-departmental public 🍐 body"[3] tasked with regulating all real money
gambling in the UK. It was launched at the behest of the Gambling 🍐 Act of 2005 and is
funded by the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
When it comes to
online 🍐 poker, the Gambling Commission regulates all sites that serve UK residents. Up
until 2014, it was only required that UK-based 🍐 poker sites held UK licenses, but a new
law [4] has now been passed to require overseas sites serving the 🍐 market to hold a
Gambling Commission license as well. The passing of this law, the Gambling (Licensing
and Advertising Act), 🍐 has huge ramifications for the large number of poker sites who
attract UK players from a base in another country.
How 🍐 do online poker sites get a UK
license?
There is an application process in place for the owners of online poker 🍐 sites
to apply for a Gambling Commission license. The application approval process takes into
account such factors as financial means, 🍐 "competence", existing criminal records and
"integrity", in deciding whether to grant a license or not.
"All poker sites serving
the UK 🍐 must be granted a license from the Gambling Commission."
What power does the
Gambling Commission have?
The Gambling Commission has complete power 🍐 when it comes to
regulating online poker websites that serve UK players. They monitor approved providers
regularly to ensure the 🍐 terms of their license are being met, and have the power to
issue penalties and even revoke licenses if the 🍐 owners of an online casino fail to meet
the criteria.
The Commission also controls which online casinos can legally advertise
in 🍐 the UK market. Only those with current licenses are allowed to promote themselves to
the public, meaning that online poker 🍐 lovers should be steered solely towards sites
that are operating within the requirements.
Is online poker software regulated in the
UK?
Yes 🍐 it is. There are technical software standards [5] that must be met by all
licensed software used to run online 🍐 poker games for UK players. Software providers
must prove their technology delivers fairness and adhere to the stipulations
within.
"Put a 🍐 foot wrong and an online poker site will lose its license in a
heartbeat."
UK poker law resources
UK vs. USA Online 🍐 Poker Laws
In the UK it's
completely legal to play online poker if you're 18 or over. In the USA, however, 🍐 it's
only legal to play online poker if you live in one of the three states that have passed
legislation 🍐 to that effect, being New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada. That leaves 47
states with no legal online poker, and makes 🍐 the UK a far more accommodating place for
the online poker fanatic.
At the moment many of the most exciting and 🍐 trustworthy poker
sites on the internet are being run in the UK.
UK vs. Europe Online Poker
Laws
Commercial online poker is 🍐 legal in major Europe countries such as France, Spain,
Germany and Italy, with big profits being made and the industry 🍐 growing at a rapid
state. Not all countries benefit from such stringent licensing laws as the UK, however,
so it 🍐 may prove a more risky exercise accessing sites from other countries.
Game by
game guide
Online poker can be played legally by 🍐 all those aged 18 or over
Poker
tournaments online can be legally entered by UK residents
Real money poker can be
accessed 🍐 legally using desktop and mobile devices
[1] Gambling Commission, 'Find
Licenses' - //secure.gamblingcommission.uk/[...]/PRSearch.aspx
[2] HM Revenue &
Customs, 'Meaning of trade: exceptions 🍐 and alternatives: betting and gambling - the
professional gambler' - http://hmrc.uk/[...]/bim22024.htm
[3] Gambling Commission,
'About Us' page - http://gamblingcommission.uk/[...]/About-us.aspx
[4] Gambling
Commission, 🍐 'Gambling' (Licensing and Advertising Act) -
http://gamblingcommission.uk/[...]licensing-and-advertising-act.aspx
[5] Gambling
Commission, 'Remote gambling and software technical standards' -
http://gamblingcommission.uk/[...]technical-standards.pdf
