At the behest of Labour Party Minister Lord Richard Faulkner, the U.K. government is investigating the strength of Gibraltar's gaming regulations.
Faulkner has reportedly proposed to Parliament the extension of the U.K.'s gambling advertising ban to Gibraltar after Gibraltar-licensed Victor Chandler International (VCI) allegedly refused to provide details to the English Football Association (FA) over claims that four Premier league managers had participated in bets on English matches. According to FA rule E8, participants are forbidden from betting on sporting events in which they are involved.
The U.K. Department for Culture, Media and Sport in August released a list of jurisdictions that were permitted to advertise gambling products and services in the United Kingdom as of Sept. 1, when the Gambling Act went into effect. Gibraltar was included on that list.
According to the Guardian, Faulkner became concerned that Gibraltar's regulations were too "soft" after meeting with VCI Chief Executive Michael Carlton and FA Director of Governance Jonathan Hall on Sept. 10 regarding the reported breach of FA rules, in which Hall asked Carlton to sign an information-exchange agreement.
A spokesperson for VCI told the newspaper that the company believes it is up to the FA to regulate the betting activities within its organization and that the gambling industry relies on respecting the confidentiality of its customers.
Calls to the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority and VCI were not immediately returned.