Euromat news

MEMBER STATE NEWS

14/01/11 – The draft Green Paper on online gambling in the Internal Market is now in “inter-services consultation” in the European Commission. Once officially adopted, it will be followed by a public consultation.  As currently outlined, the scope of the paper is mainly focused on-line gambling activities however there are relevant parts, which cover also land-based gambling. This is an opportunity for the industry to contribute to the European debate on the regulation of gambling services in the Internal Market. Relevant Directorate Generals (DGs) have been invited to provide comments on the draft Green Paper by 21 January. Official adoption of the paper is expected in early March 2011.

14/01/11 – The fully state-owned British Tote announced its plans to move a portion of its business offshore and reduce its tax liabilities in the process. The Tote operates through a pool betting system, where bookmakers contribute to a central prize fund allowing customers of other bookmakers to bet into Tote markets. The Tote has explained its move as a defensive measure designed to prevent non-UK pool operators from collecting the Tote’s existing international pool of business. The British Horseracing Authority condemned these plans, stating that this is further evidence of the necessity for urgent attention to Britain's gambling regulations mainly due to the existing lack of level playing field for remote operators.

14/01/11– In Ireland, following the position paper on gambling regulatory reform released by the government last month, plans for a super-casino in the county of Tipperary are going ahead. Current legislation in Ireland dates back to 1956 and prohibits casinos. However, the project plans for the casinos have continued with estimated costs of €500m. The drafting of actual gambling legislation has not yet occurred, but officials are hopeful for a new regulatory framework to be presented by the end of 2011.

12/01/11 – The latest public consultation launched by the Spanish government on the new draft regulations on online gambling closed on 11 January 2011 with approximately 200 replies. The 10-day process (falling over public holidays for New Years and Epiphany) saw operators and lobby groups rushing to register their comments in time. Local experts however do not expect any major changes of the outline of the draft law and prefer to focus on the discussions between national political parties, and ultimately parliamentary scrutiny to see which direction the law will actually take. It is still not confirmed whether the bill will be ready by the end of January, when the Government had planned to put it before Parliament.