EUROMAT NEWS


EUROMAT NEWS

EU AFFAIRS AND MEMBER STATE NEWS

16/08/11 – The deadline to submit comments to the European Commission on the First Amended German Interstate Treaty on Gambling ended. In July, the Commission confirmed that certain aspects of the proposal were in breach of EU laws and highlighted eleven different areas to be reviewed, concerning restrictions on online gambling services, casino games and poker, the conditions and licensing process for sports betting, and the advertisement of online betting services. Ahead of a possible delay in the adoption of the new rules, all of Germany’s Länder, excluding Baden-Wuttemberg, have already extended the current Treaty (due to expire on 31 December 2011) until the new version comes into force.

 

18/08/11 – The Hungarian Minister of Economy announced that the government will not wait for the results of the Commission’s Green Paper consultation and will present draft amendments in the parliament this autumn as part of the country’s ongoing gambling legislation reform. According to current proposals, gaming and amusement machines will be required to be connected to a central monitoring server, allowing greater oversight by regulators of bets placed and prizes paid. The government also remains determined to increase taxation for the industry. The  amendments  will be followed by further legislative changes in the first half of 2012.

18/08/11 – The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced plans to amend the Gambling Act 2005 ahead of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The changes would allow the Gambling Commission to share information with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on suspicious betting related activity. The Gambling Commission can currently only share limited information with sports governing bodies unless the body is specifically listed in the Gambling Act. The DCMS is currently conducting a consultation that will run until 9 November 2011.

 

16/08/11 – The Romanian government adopted secondary legislation concerning the rules on the organisation and operation of gambling activities. The draft proposal, which included a provision requiring all operators of gaming and amusement machines to install video surveillance systems in all types of locations, had raised serious concerns for the industry. Nevertheless, this provision appears to have been finally eliminated from the adopted text.