The European Union’s top court will consider the legality of the UK’s online gambling point-of-consumption tax (POCT). The UK implemented its 15% POCT last December, shortly after the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) launched a preemptive legal challenge. The GBGA believes the POCT discriminates against Gibraltar-licensed UK-facing operators and was primarily intended to boost the UK government’s tax coffers, rather than to protect UK punters from alleged harm. On Tuesday, the UK’s High Court sided with the GBGA, announcing that it was sending the case to the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU). The High Court said…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has confirmed that 666Bet is to cease operations in the UK market after it was revealed that parent company Metro Play is to be wound up. As reported by iGaming Business, 666Bet has not been operational in the UK since March when both the online gaming operator and Metro Play had their licences suspended by the UKGC . Customers were unable to access their accounts and withdraw funds, although payment processor Skrill was later drafted in to assist with the withdrawal process. The amounts owed to customers ranged from smaller figures up to the thousands….

Leading daily fantasy sports site DraftKings appears to be preparing for a leap across the pond. That’s after news of DraftKings’ application with the UKGC for the necessary licenses to operate in the United Kingdom. The application was first noted by Bigo1_ on Twitter. DraftKings had not responded to a request for comment as of writing. The UKGC website makes linking to application records tricky. You can view the application in the image at the end of the article or visit the UKGC search page and search for DraftKings to view the application. DraftKings originally broadcasted their plans for international…

UK National Lottery operator Camelot has unveiled a number of major changes to its Lotto game. From October of this year, the game will feature an additional 10 balls, with players having to select six balls from a total of 59. Camelot said Lotto will also offer larger rolling jackpots, with average jackpots expected to triple the level of current winning amounts. A new ‘Millionaire Raffle’ game will accompany the main Lotto draw on Saturdays and Wednesdays, guaranteeing at least two winners of £1 million (€1.4 million/$1.6 million) each week. Camelot said that the chance of winning at least £1…

Amaya-owned online gaming brand PokerStars has launched its new internet sports betting service in the UK market. Powered by the PokerStars 7 software, the new operation was open in time for customers to place bets on Saturday’s English FA Cup final between Arsenal and Aston Villa. The service is currently only accepting bets on football, tennis, basketball, ice hockey, rugby union, volleyball and handball, but adverts on the site suggest that this will be expanded to other sports in the near future. Customers are able to access the sports betting service through the PokerStars 7 client on desktop as well…

Metro Play has moved to allay fears over its repayment process to customers by confirming to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) it plans to make additional funds available in order to continue distributing money to players. As reported by iGaming Business, the Metro Play and 666Bet brands in March had their licence suspended by the UKGC in a move that left customers unable to access their accounts and withdraw funds. Despite 666Bet having appointed payment processor Skrill to aid the withdrawal process, many customers continued to report problems regarding their accounts while others hit out at the lack of correspondence…