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| Preview introduces its International News service with regular global gaming legislation updates to keep you informed at all times |
Last update Thu 25th Mar 2010 |
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BELGIUM
The proposed European Parliament Intergroup on gambling, backed by key MEPs such as Christel Schaldemose (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Denmark) and Mario Mauro (European People's Party, Italy) has not gathered the sufficient amount of backing from other politicians, therefore it will not be able to go ahead. The EUROMAT secretariat understands that now that the intergroup is shelved, supportive MEPs will continue with a ‘plan B', in which they intend to hold a gambling related event every three months or so which will likely focus on the promotion of responsible gambling and corporate social responsibility. The EUROMAT secretariat will maintain contact with the offices of MEPs Schaldemose and Mauro and will keep the membership up to date on any upcoming gambling-related events when they have been confirmed. Source: Euromat
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FINLAND
Finland’s schedule to review its outdated lottery law is slipping as politicians endorse the social responsibility concerns lauded in the ECJ’s Bwin Liga decision, but, at the same time, a new advertising campaign by the monopoly lottery operator Veikkaus is stirring controversy by apparently targeting children. Source: GamblingCompliance.com
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GERMANY
An Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will deliver an advisory opinion on the validity of Germany's state gambling monopolies on 3 March 2010, following oral hearings on 7 and 8 December at the ECJ that examined seven cases referred to the ECJ by German courts. When Italian Advocate General Mengozzi delivers his opinion to the ECJ in March, legally it is non-binding but it is usual for the judges to consider this opinion when preparing their own ruling. It is expected that the final verdict will be delivered sometime in the second half of 2010. Source: Euromat
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IRELAND
The governing body of racing in Ireland has warned the industry “will disintegrate before our eyes" unless the government reforms the funding system and secures more money from offshore bookmakers and betting exchanges. Source: GamblingCompliance.com
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ITALY
Italy’s operators are jostling for a share of the action from new and lucrative products to be made available during the first half of 2010, as the schedule for the introduction of new VLTs, cash poker and online gaming becomes clear. Source: GamblingCompliance.com
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SPAIN
On 1 December 2009, a EUROMAT delegation met with Mr. Jose-Luis Fernandez Sanz of the Spanish Permanent Representation to the EU to discuss the upcoming Spanish Presidency of the EU. Mr. Fernandez explained that the Spanish Presidency will be likely to continue the same work started under the French Presidency in 2008 but will maintain a low profile. In fact Spain intends to hold the minimum number of meetings for a Council working party, which is two. The Council Working Party on Gambling and Betting will meet on 5 March and 5 May 2010. The Spanish Presidency has indicated that it will focus its attention on the fight against illegal provision of gambling services particularly, blocking of Internet Service provision and Financial transaction blocking. The Spanish Presidency will then draft a progress report which is expected to be presented to the Competitiveness Council on 26 May 2010. Source: Euromat
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SWEDEN
The European Court of Justice has confirmed that it will examine Austrian and Swedish rules on online gambling in January in separate oral hearings. The Austrian case - number C-64/08 - also relates to the freedom to provide services under European law, and in particular Articles 43 and 49 of the EC Treaty. The case was referred to the ECJ by the Austrian Court in Linz, who sought clarification on whether the country's two current gambling licensing regimes are in violation of the EU's competition legislation. If that is the case, then the national court wants to know if current Austrian gambling legislation can be legitimately used to gambling operators based in other Member States. Source: Euromat
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THE NETHERLANDS
Advocate General Yves Bot of the European Court of Justice has delivered his opinion on the cases involving Betfair, Ladbrokes and the Dutch monopoly of De Lotto. His opinion is in favour of Member States maintaining a monopoly on gambling services and their right to grant licences to one single operator, as a means to protect consumers from fraud, crime and gambling addiction. In his very lengthy opinion, Advocate General Bot stated that free competition in the EU promotes the harmonious development of economic activities and employment. However, he then added that these advantages do not apply to the gambling sector as competition among gambling operators will push consumers into spending more than they can afford and may induce an addiction to gambling. The opinion of Advocate General Bot is non-binding but it usually indicates the way in which the ECJ will deliver its final verdict. For the Bwin/Santa Casa Portuguese case, which was concluded in September, his opinion at the time favoured the Portuguese monopoly and he supported Members States maintaining exclusive access to their gambling markets. The eventual verdict obviously upheld the same view as the Advocate General. Source: Euromat
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UNITED KINGDOM
The announcement of new licensing requirements for UK-facing online gaming providers has raised speculation that any new Conservative government would also tax offshore gaming – although lobbyists believe that a wider review of UK gambling policy under the Tories would be far less likely. Source: GamblingCompliance.com
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