Despite legal developments involving the UK Gambling Commission’s point of consumption (POC) tax regime being tested by the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) and the case’s subsequent referral to the Courts of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), Ireland’s drawn out remote gambling legislation, based on the same tax regime, will forge ahead on August 1, 2015 says Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) chief, Brian Kavanagh.
“It is not an unexpected development,” Kavanagh told the Irish Times. “It is one to watch but not one to have concerns about. We will have to wait and see and check out the detail of the case.”
“It [Irelands new betting (amendment) bill] has been through the European validation process. Now whether this case in Britain is a technicality whereby the validation process can be tested in court, I don’t know.
“I think it is a case of watching what is going on. Both pieces of legislation, in both jurisdictions, had to be run by the EU before being introduced so they’ve been through that process.”