European Court of Justice ruling welcomed by EBA.

Today, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered its final ruling on Placanica (Case C-338/04) which puts a further nail in the coffin of the state-monopoly model in the gambling sector.

This is a landmark decision building further on the jurisprudence of the ECJ in Gambelli (C-243/01) and one which the European Betting Association (EBA) hopes has the potential to act as a guide to those EU Member States and National Authorities which must adapt their national legislation and regulatory models so as to become compliant with the EU Treaty of Rome. As a consequence of this ruling, EBA calls upon various Member States to abolish their gambling monopoly models and to allow open and fair competition from licensed and regulated European-licensed operators. Furthermore, all attempts at intimidation and criminalisation of these businesses and their executives and local suppliers are to cease immediately, while practical solutions which are compatible with European law are sought.

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