Gibraltar's Parliament has passed a new Gambling Bill, updating a regulatory framework that authorities acknowledge has become stretched in the face of rapid change across the global gambling sector.
Introducing the legislation, Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry Nigel Feetham KC MP described it as one of the most carefully considered Bills in Parliament's history, noting it had been shaped over an extended period during which the market had shifted considerably.
Key changes cited include post-Brexit migration of EU gambling business away from Gibraltar, the growth of cloud infrastructure and increasingly complex multi-jurisdictional operating models.
A central aim of the new legislation is to move regulatory focus away from where technology is physically located toward where substantive management and control of a gambling operation actually takes place.
The Bill also widens regulatory scope across the supply chain, particularly in marketing – an area where Gibraltar has developed significant expertise but which has until now sat partly outside formal oversight.
The legislation introduces four core regulatory objectives: preserving confidence in gambling markets; promoting fair, responsible and safer gambling; preventing gambling from being a source of crime and protecting Gibraltar's broader public interest and reputation.
It also creates a new Gambling Appeals Tribunal and replaces what Feetham described as the existing "nuclear option" of licence suspension with a broader, more proportionate set of enforcement tools.
The timing is significant. With around 75% of Gibraltar's gambling sector revenues currently tied to the UK market – and UK online gaming duties set to rise sharply from 2026 – diversification has become a pressing priority.
Feetham told Parliament that he had met potential investors at ICE Barcelona in January and recently attended Consensus Hong Kong, with licence applications expected to follow in both areas.
The Bill passed with cross-party support, with opposition MP Roy Clinton noting there was "no political divide" on the importance of the gaming sector to Gibraltar's economy.
The new law allows regulators to adapt more quickly to emerging gambling models, including deciding whether new products should be brought within scope or excluded from regulation
