Industry News - January 2008

Holland To Compile Online Gambling ‘Blacklist’

31/01/2008: Ahead of a crucial vote in the Dutch Senate that will determine whether Holland Casino will be granted a licence to develop online casino games, the Ministry of Justice has said that it is prepared to prosecute Dutch financial institutions that process payments for so-called ‘illegal’ gambling websites included on a blacklist of rogue sites to be drawn up by the Ministry.

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EC Slams Discriminatory Italian Licensing

25/01/2008: A question regarding the legal status of bookmaker Stanley’s operations in Italy submitted to the EC by Italian politicians Mario Mauro and Gianni Pittella has backfired spectacularly. If its intention was to draw out criticism of the cross-border operator, the enquiry has instead brought back into the limelight the anomalous position of the 329 horseracing licences extended in the 2000 Italian tender process.

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Brussels To Probe OPAP’s Tender Process

22/01/2008: The decision by OPAP to halt its tender process and extend its contract for provision of technology in Greece with Intralot last year caused controversy and led to an unsuccessful legal challenge by GTech, one of the bidders excluded at the eleventh hour. Now the EU is getting involved and is looking at OPAP’s procurement processes at the same time as the legality of the organisation is also being challenged.

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Spanish Charity Lottery Moves Online

21/01/2008: The Spanish Government has authorised traditional charity lottery ONCE to join the main state lottery in selling lottery products over the internet in Spain. The move comes as the Spanish Government finds itself under pressure, including from ONCE, to regulate internet gambling in general.

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Online Firms Boosted By French Court’s ECJ Check

21/01/2008: A French appeal court’s decision to assess whether France’s betting laws are compatible with EU law is being seen by many as the first step on the road towards a possible liberalization of gaming in France later this year.

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Swedish Tabloid Raises Stakes In Advertising Row

16/01/2008: The former and current editors-in-chief of the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet have written to the European Commission urging it to accelerate its overdue infringement procedures against Sweden over sports betting. While the letter could open an important new front in the battle over private sector betting in the Nordic region, their calls for a new EU infringement process to begin over poker are likely to fall on deaf ears.

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Italy Debuts New Online Licensing Conditions

14/01/2008: Italian regulatory authorities have sent their new law on internet gaming to the EU for approval before it comes into force, and while the details indicate a slight softening of the expected rules, the timescale of the consultation means the new licenses will not be active in time for the Euro 2008 football championship this summer.

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Battle Over German Interstate Treaty Heading For Home Front Skirmishes

09/01/2008: The German Interstate Gambling Treaty came into force as of January 1, despite doubts as to how enforceable the legislation will ultimately turn out to be. However, while some operators are pinning their hopes on European Commission action to overturn the treaty, a European decision may be years off and experts believe the first challenges are likely to emerge via domestic court action within the next few weeks.

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Spain Edges Towards Remote Gambling Regulation

08/01/2008: Propelled by a motion passed by the Spanish Congress in late December, the Spanish Government is now expected to draw up comprehensive, nationally binding regulations for remote gambling. March’s general elections will likely delay the process, however, and contrary to some reports in the country, the motion does not establish a timetable for new legislation to be introduced.

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Gaming legal experts meet to discuss European market

04/01/2008: 2008 kicks off with hopes high that this will be the year that the European Commission make significant progress in the harmonization and liberalisation of European gaming law and break down some of the existing barriers currently stunting the growth of the gaming and gambling industry.

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