EUROMAT News Bulletin 28 September 2012


EUROMAT News Bulletin 28 September 2012

EU AFFAIRS

 

20/09/12 - The European Commission organised in Cyprus the “EU Sport Forum”, which gathered EU Sport Ministers and representatives of Europe’s sport movement to discuss match-fixing, the contribution of sport to the EU economy and the future of EU funding for grass-roots sport, amongst others. Moreover, the participants signed a “Declaration on the fight against match-fixing” stressing the need for action in five key areas, namely education, monitoring, sanctions, cooperation and international coordination.

 

MEMBER STATE NEWS

 

27/09/12 – The Greek Government has announced the launch of an international public tender process for the sale of its 33% shareholding in the Greek gaming monopoly operator, OPAP. Expressions of interest have to be submitted by 19 October 2012.

 

25/09/12 – Intralot's subsidiary in Poland, Totolotek, has been forced to suspend sports betting at its retail outlets across the country following a decision from the Polish Ministry of Finance. The decision to withdraw the company’s betting licence was taken in relation to Totolotek’s loyalty programme, “E-promocja”, which has been accused of accepting online bets before Poland regulated online betting services in January this year.

 

24/09/12 - UK National Lottery operator, Camelot, has announced its decision to withdraw an appeal against the judgement delivered last month by the High Court rejecting permission for a judicial review of the Gambling Commission’s regulation of commercial operator, Health Lottery. Camelot’s CEO, Dianne Thompson, stated that although it has clear grounds for appeal, doing so would delay “urgent political action” needed to close a loophole in the Gambling Act 2005, which according to Camelot has been used by the Health Lottery to position itself as a direct rival to the National Lottery.

 

24/09/12 – Romania has effectively banned bingo games organised through television networks systems with the entry into force of Government Ordinance No. 17/2012 of 24 August 2012. The Ordinance specifically prohibits “the sale of tickets or certificates for gambling bingo type, for which the extraction of tickets/certificates or course participants is done through television or radio networks”.