What happens to Gibraltar casinos after Brexit?

Are Gibraltar casinos affected by Brexit?

Gibraltar is a strange little territory. The area of The Rock Of Gibraltar has been part of Great Britain since 1713. However, its own autonomy is great, especially after a new constitution was passed in 2006. Under international law, the area is a so-called dependent territory under British control.

Gibraltar is part of the EEA area and is thus part of the EU's internal market. In this way, the territory differs from other British possessions such as, for example, Alderney and the Isle of man. This small detail means that it is possible for companies based in the territory to be able to offer services to the entire EU and EEA. This, together with the fact that the corporate tax is low, means that there are many gaming companies that have offices and gaming license in the territory.

Does Gibraltar follow Britain out of the EU?

The special fact that Gibraltar is not really part of the UK, means that there have been a lot of tricky questions about Gibraltar's status in the EU/EEA after Brexit. Does Gibraltar automatically follow Britain out of the EU? Can the area continue to be part of the internal market? Can bookmakers continue to act with an EU gaming license? May New Zealand players continue play tax-free at Gibraltar casinos? There is also an infected issue related to Spain's claim to the cliff and the area around it. Spain has a standing claim to the area and has stated that a Brexit could mean vetoing Britain's exit from the community.

Just recently, the British government presented an interesting piece of news. Together with the Government of Gibraltar, a bilateral agreement on the future has been drawn up. The agreement stipulates that the territory will continue to be able to supply services to the mainland (after Brexit). This means that bookmakers and finance companies can continue operations as usual after 2019. Thus, by all accounts, bookmakers such as Bet365 and 888 may continue to have Gibraltar as a base against NZ players. But, what about New Zealand players?

Exceptions of the Monaco and San Marino model

If Gibraltar joins the NZ out of the EU, all Gibraltar casinos will suddenly cease to be tax-free for New Zealand players. Today, not many sites that cater to New Zealandr have only a Gibraltar license (often supplemented with, for example, a Malta license), but such a development does not make it easier for New Zealandr who wants to play on foreign sites.

There are currently discussions to give Gibraltar a kind of ”slimmed-down” membership in the EEA after Brexit. Such an agreement would make it” business as usual " for bookmakers in the EEA as a whole. The likelihood of such an agreement being reached is good. For example, there are such for all other so-called microstates in Europe. Some examples are Monaco and San Marino.

Gambling laws in New Zealand

After the conditions for licenses and tax-free games have felt basically cemented for a long time, now suddenly a lot is happening at once. Brexit is close in time, but even closer in time is the introduction of the new gambling law in New Zealand. The New Zealand gaming market for casino and betting, among other things, will be opened to competition on January 1, 2019, and probably then, among other things, a New Zealand gaming casino will appear directly together with licensed sites from the largest New Zealand and foreign casino companies.