Antigua proposed online gambling rules

The Caribbean country proposed taxes and rules for online gambling operators.

Antigua.- The Antigua government proposed a new gambling Act that aims to regulate land-based casinos in the country. The 2007 Interactive Gaming and Wagering Regulations will be included in the Gambling Act of 2016. The Act is expected to be approved in the first quarter of 2017.

The Financial Services Regulatory Commission from Antigua requested a Gaming Sector Meeting, where four of the eight companies licenses to operate online gambling services in the country discussed the current situation. The new rules set a Gambling Authority Division that will be in charge of handling licensing and monitoring of all gambling in Antigua, including the online sector. According to the government, they propose an appropriate monitoring system and mandate monthly reports and/or data with fair costs in charge of the licensees.

Antigua also set a tax structure for online operators solely based on the number of local staff: the companies that have four or fewer staff will only pay 5 percent of their gross gaming revenue (GGR). The numbers will fall to 4.5 percent for companies that currently employ from 5 to 30 locals, 3.5 and 2.5 percent for 30 to 100 and over 100. According to specialists, the new tax proposal will not help attract new online licensees.