Nouvelles de l'industrie - Août 2007

Sweden To EU: We Back Svenska Spel Monopoly

31/08/2007: In a 19 page official response to the EU Commission’s Reasoned Opinion from June, the Swedish government has chosen to defend the Swedish gaming monopoly, despite threats from the Commission and dissent within Sweden itself.

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UK Sees Late Summer Of Gambling Ad Recriminations

30/08/2007: “Gambling advertising will produce more gamblers which will in turn produce more problem gamblers, despite protestations to the contrary,” Gamcare Chairman Anthony Jennens declared yesterday. His statement, coming two days before the Act goes into effect, is one of very few pronouncements by Gamcare on the subject of the new laws, which will extend to the advertising of gambling from September 1.

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Dutch Leak Spotlights EU Infringement Debate

29/08/2007: The contents of a second letter of formal notice sent to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs by EU Internal Market Commissioner McCreevy’s office in March 2007 were leaked to the Dutch media last week. However, the circumstances of the revelations are indicative of a heightened state of tension over ongoing EU infringement proceedings, with a further case involving UK betting exchange Betfair due to be heard tomorrow.

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Lower Saxony Sees Online License Decision Reversed In Court

28/08/2007: The Northwestern German State of Lower Saxony will be forced to grant an online casino license to Spielbanken Niedersachsen GmbH (SNG), a company which it once owned, following a decision last week by the Administrative Court in Hanover.

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Professional Player Protection May Fall To Bookmaking Industry

22/08/2007: A code of conduct on sports betting published this week by the Professional Players Federation calls upon bookmakers to fund extensive education campaigns designed to increase players’ awareness of their personal responsibilities and liabilities in accordance with the 2005 Gambling Act.

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German Courts On Hold For ECJ Guidance

21/08/2007: A High Court decision last week boosted the hopes of a number of private betting operators still facing charges brought by German authorities before early 2006 but a spectacular backlog of cases looks set to accumulate over the coming years as a third sports betting case is referred to the European Court of Justice.

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Finland Set To Bolster EU Compliance With Gambling Age Limits

16/08/2007: As part of a broader move to bring Finland’s gambling laws into line with practices across the EU, Finland is likely to increase its age limits for slot machine play from 15 to 18 and for the first time introduce formal age restrictions on lottery ticket sales.

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UK Gambling Commission Appoints Dean Successor

15/08/2007: Brian Pomeroy, currently a Commissioner of the National Lottery, has been appointed as Chair of the UK Gambling Commission to succeed Peter Dean, with Peter Teague taking a post as a Commissioner.

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Gaming Law Changes Derailed In Sweden

14/08/2007: In Sweden, the marketing activities of the monopoly gaming operator are under police examination but the focus of an inquiry to recommend changes to the country’s gambling laws is blurring as the new government becomes accustomed to the realities of power.

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UK Gambling Commission Loses Operations Tsar To Gibraltar

14/08/2007: The departure of Phil Brear to head up gambling regulation for Gibraltar’s Regulatory Authority is a big boost for the Mediterranean jurisdiction, but a blow to the Birmingham-based UK Gambling Commission, which has lost its operational boss with less than three weeks left before the implementation of the 2005 Gambling Act.

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