William Hill moves to Europe

William Hill is transferring its online gambling operation from the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean to Gibraltar and Malta.

The gambling giant said that the move will help it conduct “business as usual,” after new amendments to the Gambling Act 2005 were announced last week.

Under the new amendments, which will take effect from 1 September, only gambling companies based within the European Economic Area (EEA) or on a Government White list will be able to advertise in the UK.

It will apply to all forms of gambling advertising including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, taxis, buses, the underground and some websites.

William Hill said its customers will see new terms and conditions from 22 August 2007 that will “govern all remote activities with William Hill” and coincide with its move.

The site has also advised its customers that they will need to sign up again to its new terms and conditions before they can continue betting and gaming.

Gibraltar, an EEA territory, already hosts Ladbroke's online gambling operation, as well as those of 888.com and PartyGaming.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which is behind the amendments, has rejected applications from the Dutch Antilles and Tasmania to be included on the white list. It is still considering applications from Kahnawake (an Indian reserve in Quebec, Canada) and Antigua.