Legislation / Legal
DCMS: All gambling operators selling into the British market - whether based in the UK or abroad - will have to obtain a licence from the Gambling Commission, under plans announced recently by John Penrose, Minister responsible for gambling regulation.
The changes mean that for the first time ‘remote gambling’ (gambling through remote means, such as the internet, telephone, television or radio) will be regulated at the point of consumption not the point of supply, ensuring British consumers are always protected, no matter which online gambling site they visit.
OFT: The OFT has opened investigations into a number of websites that charge people for government services that are available directly from government either at no cost or for a lower fee. The investigation will look into websites that charge consumers to apply for services that are free such as European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) as well as websites that impose higher charges for services that do carry a cost such as booking a driving theory test.
The OFT will consider, amongst other things, whether the websites are deceptively presented as official government services - an ‘unfair commercial practice’. This would raise particular concern if consumers are thus misled into paying fees for services that are available free of charge from the official government website, or paying significantly more than what they would have to pay when using the official website.
