英国博彩运营商同意支付英国皇家赛马会72.9万英镑(2)

译文：

　　UK BETTING OPERATORS AGREE TO PAY ?72.9M TO HORSE RACING

　　UK-based sports betting operators have just agreed to pay a total sum of ?72.9 million in order to support the British horse racing industry. This sum will constitute the payment operators will have to make as part of the UK Horse Racing Levy.

　　The largest portion of this sum will be paid by three of the UKs largest sports betting companies. These companies are William Hill, Ladbrokes and Gala Coral. These three companies will together make a payment of ?45 million.

　　UK betting exchange Betfair has also agreed to pay a sum of ?7 million. This payment will be made despite the fact that UK laws do not require betting exchanges to participate in the Horse Racing Levy. Betfair announced this summer that despite this it will still contribute to the UK horse racing industry with ?40 million during the next five years.

　　The rest of the total sum will be paid by smaller land-based and online sports betting operators registered in the United Kingdom. The payment of ?72.9 million will be valid for the fiscal year beginning on April 1st 2013 and ending with March 31st 2014.

　　Chairman of the Horserace Betting Levy Board Paul Lee commented that the bulk of this sum will be used as prize money for the various horse racing events organized through the year. He explained that the money allocated to prizes will be of ?50 million, which is an increase of 30% compared to the 2012 prizes.

　　The UK Horse Racing Levy has been established in the '60s when the United Kingdom has legalized sports betting in betting shops that are not located in an actual horse racing track. The levy is meant to compensate the revenues lost by race tracks due to low attendance.

　　There are however organizations and individuals in the UK who disagree with the current mechanisms of the Horse Racing Levy. Chairman of the British Horseracing Authority Paul Bittar commented today that there should be much stricter laws that regulate how much money operators will have to contribute to the Levy.

　　The biggest problem, according to Paul Bittar, is the fact that online betting operators can always avoid paying the Levy by relocating to offshore jurisdictions such as Gibraltar. Therefore, Bittar is looking forward to the government to propose a "long-term, enforceable replacement for the levy."

　　A possible solution would be the adoption of a law that would require online gambling operators licensed in whitelisted jurisdictions to pay taxes in the UK as well. It's extremely likely that such a law will be adopted during the next year, despite operators' vehement protests and disagreement.