Gaming operator Mansion Group has been granted a Remote Gambling Software licence by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The licence will enable Mansion to continue to operate its various online casino services in the UK market. Mansion’s UK portfolio currently features MansionCasino.com, Casino.com, Club777.com, LesACasino.com and SlotsHeaven.com. The news comes after Mansion in September announced that it was to withdraw its Mansion Poker online service from the UK market. Mansion was also linked with a total withdrawal from the UK, but denied that it would fully exit the market. Sagi Lahav, chief executive officer of Mansion, said: “We’re delighted to…

iGaming Business – Content and systems developer Betdigital has become one of the first companies to be awarded a Remote Gambling Software Operating Licence by the UK Gambling Commission. The award confirms that Betdigital has the necessary licensing to meet the terms of the new Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act that will come into effect in the UK this October. The new Act demands that all operators that offer a remote gambling service to British consumers must acquire a UK licence, with these operators also required to ensure their suppliers are also licensed in the UK from January 2015. Heath…

iGaming Business – The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) has written to the UK government and Gambling Commission to declare its intention to challenge the new Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014. The organisation, which represents Gibraltar-based online gambling operators, instructed law firm Olswang to contact Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid, attorney general Dominic Grieve and the UK Gambling Commission in order to spell out its concerns over the Act. Under the new Act, which was given Royal Assent by the British monarchy last month, all remote gambling operators in the UK market are required to…

IB Times – For the first time, Britain will consider illegal enterprises, including drugs and prostitution, in its economic measurements, the Office of National Statistics announced Friday. The statistics office estimates that paying for illegal drugs and sex adds about £10 billion, or $16.7 billion, a year to the UK economy. That’s about 0.7 percent of Britain’s GDP. Officials say approximately £5.3 billion is attributed to prostitution and £4.4 billion pertains to the import, manufacture and consumption of illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine. Because some of these activities, such as prostitution, are legal in other European Union member…

Gaming Intelligence – The UK Gambling Commission has notified the European Commission (EC) of its amended Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice for gambling operators. The notification was received by the EC yesterday (May 28th), starting a standstill period which expires on August 29th. The notification relates to amendments to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice that reflect changes in legislation effected by the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014, which extends the 2005 Gambling Act’s jurisdiction over remote gambling. FULL STORY (SUBSCRIPTION)

Marketing Magazine – 67% of UK consumers are concerned over the volume of online gambling advertising, while only a fifth of the populace believed that online gaming brands target the right audience, according to research from IgnitionOne. The ‘Betting on Digital’ report was commissioned by digital marketing technology specialist IgnitionOne, which worked closely with ComRes and surveyed 2,000 UK consumers. To gain a perspective from the gaming firms themselves, IgnitionOne also conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 11 senior marketers from the online gaming sector. A quarter (23%) of British adults said they gamble online, including 28% of men and 18%…