Ladbrokes is set to withdraw its betting services from Switzerland, Hungary and Norway as the operator reviews its international operations. The operator stated that it would leave these jurisdictions after undertaking legal and regulatory reviews of European igaming frameworks.
The withdrawal from the above mentioned territories comes as the United Kingdom prepares for the start of the new Point of Consumption tax regime, which will likely commence on 1 November.
All UK operators have been forced to declare earnings on foreign jurisdictions which account for more than 3% of corporate turnover. Ladbrokes management stated that the company wished to comply with incoming UK laws regarding and would therefore continue to withdraw for grey market territories
2014 has seen several European jurisdictions step up their efforts to police and monitor online gambling services. The Norwegian gambling authority Lotteritilsynet recently issued a federal warning to a number of remote gambling operators for marketing their betting and gaming services Norwegian consumers.
The Swiss government have further outlined tougher policy and punishment for companies it deems have breached Swiss gambling laws
It is likely that Ladbrokes and other igaming operators announce the withdrawl of operation from several European jurisdiction in the coming weeks, in order to comply with UK Gambling Commission regulations.
Ladbrokes confirmed that it had closed player accounts listed in the jurisdictions of Switzerland, Hungary and Norway, and stopped all marketing and partnership activities in the regions.
