High-profile bookmaker and online gambling group William Hill is set to relocate its online gambling arm from Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean to Gibraltar. Sources claim that the move is linked to the impending introduction of the UK Government’s ban on advertising gambling websites that operate outside of the European Economic Area.

Gibraltar, an EEA territory, is already home to the online gambling services of leading companies such as Ladbrokes, 888.com and PartyGaming. Other online gambling companies that may need to follow suit include Betfred Casino and Poker, Interpoker.com and Littlewoodscasino.com who also operate from Netherlands Antilles.

The advertising ban will start 1 September and relates to all forms of gambling advertising including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, taxis, buses, the tube and some websites.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it will impact roughly 1,000 gambling websites.