Remote Gambling
Gambling you take part in remotely — over the internet, by phone, or through other electronic means — rather than in person at a physical venue.
Definition
In UK law (Gambling Act 2005, s.4), remote gambling is gambling in which people participate by means of remote communication — the internet, telephone, television, radio, or any other electronic technology — as distinct from attending a physical venue. The concept is central to licensing: since the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014, operators must hold a Gambling Commission remote licence to serve British consumers on a "point of consumption" basis, regardless of where their servers or corporate entity are based. Other jurisdictions regulate the same activity under different labels — Australia's "interactive gambling", for example — and some restrict or prohibit it entirely.
Worked example
A player in Leeds opens a licensed betting app and stakes £10 on a Premier League match. This is remote gambling because they participate over the internet, even if the operator's servers sit in Gibraltar and its company is registered in Malta. Under Britain's point-of-consumption regime the operator still needs a Gambling Commission remote licence and pays duty on revenue from GB customers — for online casino play this is Remote Gaming Duty, historically charged at 21% of gaming yield (a rate set by HMRC and subject to change).
Why it matters
Whether an activity counts as "remote" decides which licence an operator needs, which tax it pays, and which advertising and player-protection rules apply. For anyone working in online gaming it is the foundational legal category that separates the digital sector from land-based venues — misclassify it and you may be operating, or marketing, without the correct permission in a given market.
Related
Note: The core concept is stable, but statutory wording and scope vary by jurisdiction: "remote gambling" is the UK Gambling Act 2005 term, Australia uses "interactive gambling" (Interactive Gambling Act 2001), and the US regulates state by state. Tax figures (e.g. UK Remote Gaming Duty, cited here at 21%) change over time — including proposals to consolidate remote gambling duties — and should be verified against current HMRC and Gambling Commission guidance.