Andrew Lyman set to head up Gibraltar’s gambling regulator
Andrew Lyman, the former director of regulatory affairs at sportsbook and casino operator William Hill, is set to be the new director of the national gambling regulatory body in Gibraltar.
Lyman is a hugely experienced figure in regulation of the sports betting world. Prior to his role at William Hill, Lyman was director of monitoring and enforcement at the UK Gambling Commission and chief executive for the Association of British Bookmakers. He is set to start the new role at Gibraltar’s gambling authority in January 2018.
Lyman will take over from Phill Brear, who is set to move into an advisory role within the organisation. Brear announced his retirement from the position back in September 2016 and has since seen out the remainder of his contract, which ran until late 2017.
Speaking about Lyman’s appointment, Albert Isola, Minister for gambling, said:
Andrew will now be driving the excellent work of the gambling division and enhancing that process. The government recognises that this area needs more resource and support and we are very fortunate to have Andrew joining us. I am pleased that we will continue to have the experience, knowledge and support of Phill Brear in his new position supporting Andrew and government in this area.– Albert Isola, Gibraltar Minister for Gambling
The Government of Gibraltar licenses a number of bookmakers with a big UK presence. © Wikipedia
Significant time for regulation in Gibraltar
Lynamn’s appointment comes at a significant time for gambling regulation in Gibraltar. In 2018, a new Gambling Act Review will be released, containing a number of new regulatory policies that will be rolled out over that year.
The organisation is also currently working with operators to restructure the egaming tax system. A focus will be on modernising and simplifying the tax system which currently sees sports betting operators taxed 1% of annual turnover, with a cap set at £425,000. There are further plans to review the legislative and cost framework of the industry.
The Government of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Gambling Commission licence a number of UK-owned bookmakers. Many of these are based on the rock and are in discussion with the authority regarding the new taxation structure.
