Danish Gaming Authority Warning Over Brexit
Spillemyndigheden, better known to many as the Danish Gaming Authority, has warned British-based gambling operators of its new guidance of the UK exiting the European Union at the beginning of January.
As many will already know, the UK is due to leave the bloc. It is in a transitional period of agreement with the EU, which ends on January 1st, at which point operators having headquarters in Britain will need to take heed of very different rules when offering online gambling platforms to players in Denmark.
Licensees Now Need Representatives in Denmark
Part of the new processes those outsides of Denmark need to be aware of when offering services in the country is the need to appoint a representative. Such representatives are required for all gambling companies established outside of the EU or the EEA (European Economic Area), which Britain is above to leave formally.
The Danish Gaming Authority has moved to say that it shall be the licensee’s responsibility to ensure that their appointed representative is either established in Denmark, resident in the country, or at least is so in another EU or EEA territory.
With this in mind, the Spillemyndigheden is pressing the point that British-based firms that hold licences in Denmark currently must now ensure that they find a representative for this role; otherwise, they will cease to offer services in the country.
Danes Not Spending Much on Gambling
The guidance, which existed before but is being pressed ahead of Brexit in January, comes after the Authority in Denmark recently revealed that their territory has the lowest gambling spend in the Nordic region. The region consists of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland, while they also have the eighth-lowest spending of the ten EU countries sampled.
According to surveys in Denmark, the average spends on gambling is the equivalent of around £257 per year. This is important as, while British gambling companies see this as an important territory, the Danes, for there part, don’t see gambling as being as important as Brits do and, as such, have no qualms about snatching away licenses.
Danish Warning Another Example of Brexit Perils
It goes without saying that those in Britain who support Brexit, who by now are a minority, for the most part, want it to happen regardless of all the financial perils.
While this particular one won’t cause many ripples in the grander scheme of things, it is another important footnote in Brexit’s fallout.
Britain has led the way in online game development and, given its experience, remains at the very top of the tree when it comes to bookmaking, however, things can change, and it is a move such as this that may just catch one or two companies out.
The gambling and online gaming landscape is changing for British companies, both in terms of the European-based employees they retain and the rules without the territories they sell too. Of course, it could lead to one big positive for certain gambling professionals.
The need for a representative present in the EU representing gambling companies in Denmark is an entirely new role for British based companies, a role that will need to be filled, but whether such companies consider a Brit living abroad or a professional already present in the EEA to be the best fit is a story not told yet.
