EUROMAT News Bulletin 15 February 2013

Please find below this week’s news bulletin...

EU AFFAIRS

12/02/13 - The European Commission’s Group of Experts on gambling services met for the second time to discuss, amongst others, the Recommendations on responsible gambling advertising and protection of consumers of gambling services that the Commission expects to adopt towards the end of the year. The group is formed by the national regulators and/or competent authorities (list of members) and has the main task of assisting the Commission in the preparation of legislation or in policy definition. The next meeting is scheduled for 16 April 2013. Attached you will find the minutes of the last meeting held on 5 December 2012.


11/02/12 – The European Commission has responded to MEP Jürgen Creutzmann (ALDE, DE) who asked the Commission for clarification on the implementation of the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling.  The Commission confirms that the Länder are currently implementing the terms of the treaty and that these regional acts need to be notified to the Commission before being introduced.  If the regional acts are not notified the Commission may launch infringement proceedings and the rules may be unenforceable.
MEP Creutzmann’s Question
Commission’s Answer

11/02/12 – The European Commission has responded to MEP Mario Borghezio (EFD, IT), who had requested the Commission’s view on “hidden incentives to gambling” posed by the Spanish Government’s “fiscal instrument”, which allows for the possibility of deducting losses from gambling winnings and the effect this will have on the wider EU market.  The Commission confirmed that such matters are for the Member State to decide, but requested MEP Borghezio to provide further details on the law and respective article providing for the tax treatment described in the question to be able to fully to fully assess its compatibility with EU legislation.
MEP Borghezio’s Question
Commission’s Answer

11/02/12 – The European Parliament has forwarded three additional questions to the European Commission, which the Commission shall respond to within six weeks:

• MEP Marc Tarabella (S&D, BE) has raised his concern that the UK’s proposed amendment to the Gambling Act 2005, particularly with regards to taxation at the point of consumption, will push players to illegal, unregulated sites.  MEP Tarabella’s Question

• MEP Nuno Melo (PPE, PT) called on the Commission to further clarify its position with regards to the progress on the online gambling legal framework at EU level in light of the risk of cross-border money laundering and harm to consumers. MEP Melo’s Question

• MEP Raul Romeva i Rueda (Green/EFA, ES) has requested the Commission’s view on the EuroVegas project in Madrid, Spain which may present a risk of money laundering. MEP Rueda’s Question

08/02/13 – Hungary has re-notified its draft gambling law on remote gambling under the European Commission’s TRIS procedure. The Hungarian government had initially notified the draft law as relating to fiscal measures thereby avoiding the normal three-month standstill period and full scrutiny by the Commission and other Member States. The standstill period will now expire on 13 May 2013. In the meantime, the Commission continues to investigate Hungary’s notification of the amendments that introduced a ban on gaming machines (also notified as relating to fiscal measures).
European Commission – TRIS notification

MEMBER STATE NEWS

13/02/13 – The UK Gambling Commission has released the most recent figures from the gambling participation survey showing an increase in online activity from 12.4% to 14.3% and an actual fall in FOBT play to just 1%.  The majority of gamblers (75%) are still opting to do so in person, with only 11% gambling exclusively online.
UK Gambling Commission – Participation Survey

11/02/13 – UK based campaign group, Fairer Gambling, have revealed figures about Britain’s Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs or B2 machines) market in a bid to promote action against high-stake games.  The campaign claims that £40bn was wagered on this type of machine last year resulting in a return-to-player average of around 88% - much lower than operators claim.  The UK Government is still awaiting official figures before deciding to take action against such machines.
Fairer Gambling

08/02/13 – Las Vegas Sands confirmed the Spanish town of Alcorcón, near Madrid, as the venue for Europe’s answer to the Vegas Casino Strip.  The project, known as EuroVegas, will cost €9.8bn and will include 36,000 hotel rooms over 12 hotels, servicing 6 casinos with an expected 18,000 slot machines.
Las Vegas Sand corporate news page

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

14/02/13 – Switzerland has set out proposals for a unified framework to regulate all forms of gambling.  The proposals are designed to prevent addiction and problem gambling and will see tax rules harmonised.  A consultation on the topic will be held in the second half of 2013.

MARKET UPDATE

12/02/13 – US New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that he would conditionally veto the state’s online gambling laws, stating that he would green light the rules when certain conditions are met.  This step caused European gambling stocks to rise, with Bwin.party, amongst others, seeing jumps of up to 20% on the FTSE100.  It is thought the NJ Bill could encourage other US states to legislate, allowing EU companies to target the huge US market.
Bloomberg market report

12/02/13 – The Danish Gambling Authority has reported Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) for betting and online casinos totalling over DKK 2bn (€286m) in 2012.  State owned Danske Spil controls around 62% of the market and it is thought ‘illegal’ operators account for just 5%.
SKAT market figures

UPCOMING EVENTS

27-28 February 2013 (Panama City, Panama)
Gaming Executive Summit LatAm 2013
http://www.terrapinn.com/2013/gaming-executive-summit-latam/?pk_campaign=sponsprom&pk_kwd=S6home

5-6 March, 2013 (Dublin, Ireland)
Irish Gaming Show
www.gambetnews.com

5-7 March, 2013 (Kiev, Ukraine)
Vending Expo 2013 / World of Entertainments
http://vendingexpo.kiev.ua/en/

10-12 July 2013 (Barcelona, Spain)
Global Lotteries Executive Summit
http://www.terrapinn.com/2013/global-lotteries-executive-summit/?pk_campaign=Terr-Listing&pk_kwd=Europe

7-8 March 2013 (Stuttgart, Germany)
Einladung zum Symposium 2013
http://gluecksspiel.uni‐hohenheim.de/symposium2013

12-15 March, 2013 (Rimini Fiera, Italy)
Enada Spring - Secure Gaming And Assured Business
www.enadaprimavera.it.

28 March 2013 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
EASG – Dutch gambling landscape
www.easg.org

30 May 2013 (Bucharest, Romania)
EUROMAT EXCOM meeting

31 May 2013 (Bucharest, Romania)
EUROMAT AGM