For more experienced online gamblers, using more than one gambling website can have some advantages. This is especially true for those who are looking to shop their lines while online sports betting. In addition, using multiple real money gambling sites can also provide an opportunity to take advantage of many different bonuses and promotions. There is no clear-cut answer to this question, and now we will tell you why. Do you need a license to launch a gambling site? 'How can this not be necessary, what a nonsense?' – you may ask bewildered. But do not jump to a conclusion.
Different countries have had gambling in some form or the other, from games based on dice rolls to drawing of lots and also games with some level of skill involved. There are ivory dice from the times of the Egyptian civilization dating back to 1537 BC and there have been mentions of gambling in Cicero’s Divinatoire. Gambling has been prevalent in UK too for quite a while.
The UK is one of those countries where gambling has really developed over the centuries. On this page we take a brief look at the history of gambling in the UK, from the ancient times right up to today.
Gambling has been around in Britain from before the Romans occupied the country. There was a class distinction, however: Lac leamy casino shows.
There were laws in place that regulated to an extent who could gamble.
Lotteries supported by the State came into existence:
Horse racing itself surfaced in Britain in the 16th century. The 18th century saw the birth of two of the biggest racing institutions in the UK – the Jockey Club and Tattersalls.
Gambling also flourished in the exclusive gaming houses or clubs that had as its clients wealthy patrons. However, there were persistent resistances to gambling across the UK, and the result was the setting up of the Select Committee on Gaming in 1844 in the House of Lords. This finally resulted in the passing of the first official gambling-related legislation, the Gaming Act, in 1845 followed by the Betting Act of 1853. Together, these two laws banned gambling in all forms for the working class.
The 20th century saw the emergence of a large number of betting shops across the UK and the 1961 Betting and Gaming Act ensured the arrival of the casino. The first official casino in London was the Clermont Club, which opened in 1962. It is, even today, one of London’s most respected clubs.
According to a report, as of March 2016 there are 148 casinos in the UK. Of these Genting UK (Genting Casinos) has the most number of casinos, at 44. At these casinos you get to play a wide variety of slot machines and the usual popular games like:
The arrival of the Internet brought in a new form of gambling in the UK – online gambling. The Gambling Act of 2005 led to the setting up of the UK Gambling Commission, the regulatory body that oversees and regulates all the different forms of gambling in the UK:
There are a large number of online and now mobile casinos in the UK today. A number of these are based locally in the UK, offering UK players an advantage in terms of familiarity with the games on offer. There are a number of overseas operators as well.
Earlier, overseas operators could use their regular licenses to operate and service clients in the UK. However, all that changed with the passing of the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act in 2014. This new Act, derived out of the Gambling Act of 2005, made it mandatory for all online gambling operators servicing UK players to obtain a license from the UK Gambling Commission. So now overseas operators have, apart from their original license from a licensing jurisdiction, a license from the UKGC as well.
Operators had the choice of paying a fee and obtaining a continuity license till their new licenses were processed and approved by the UKGC. This move led to a few overseas operators shutting down their UK operations. A number of others have, however, stayed on. As of today, more than 150 companies have applied for continuity licenses from the UKGC and a number of companies have started the process of shifting their customers to new UK-based platforms.
The following is a brief timeline of gambling as it has existed and developed in the UK right from the beginning.