British bookmaker William Hill is planning on keeping its online betting operations in Gibraltar following the UK’s implementation of a point of consumption tax in December 2014.”We have over 400 people in Gibraltar, we run our global operations from there,” said Andy Lee, managing director of William Hill Online.
“Our staff are very happy there and there are reasons why we will remain there in order to be competitive in this market,” he added.
Concerns about a move away from the territory were raised last month when William Hill announced plans to open a “centre of excellence” in East London’s ‘Tech City’.
Lee said that the aim of the new ‘Tech City’ office was to tap into a pool of talented engineers and designers available in London, but added that the team would be limited to around 40 people.
William Hill’s main corporate headquarters is in north London.
Insight & Analysis
Britain is planning to impose a 15 percent duty on bookmakers’ online winnings from British customers with effect from December 2014, a move that is expected to yield around £300m a year. The decision by William Hill will be welcomed Gibraltar’s authorities, who have been concerned that bookmakers could move their online operations out of the territory, depriving the local economy of one of its mainstays.
source : www.totallygaming.com
