With only three weeks until the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, the UK Government has issued an eight-point checklist to help those who work in the gambling industry prepare for the possibility (likelihood?) of a hard exit.
With the initial October 31st deadline looming large, a principal area of concern for UK operators is in relation to their British staff having to meet immigration rules to work in the EU, with Gibraltar coming into sharp focus – as many operators are currently headquartered there. The reverse scenario will obviously apply to EU nationals who physically work for operators located within the UK.
Another significant impact will be in relation to how UK operators and other gambling businesses access and use personal data from the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA). All contracts will require review to ensure compliance in this area – although the UK Government has said that it is committed to maintaining General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) standards, and plans to incorporate the GDPR into British law post Brexit.
Other key areas of concern relate to: Accounting & Reporting; Auditing; Intellectual Property, and even whether UK gambling businesses will be able to import hardware from the EU, should the UK leave without a deal.
All in all, a No Deal Brexit will have considerable ramifications for the gambling business – but promises to be a lucrative period for operators’ lawyers and accountants.
Read more about the checklist in an article on the iGamingBusiness website.
The checklist itself can be accessed on the UK Government’s site.
