EUROPE
August 1, 2010
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Sweden
can ban gambling ads by private, for-profit operators from abroad, according to
a ruling by the highest court of the European Union.
Validating Sweden’s state-sponsored gambling
monopoly, and dealing a blow to the EU’s commercial online operators, the
European Court of Justice ruled that the “Swedish legislation which prohibits
the promotion [advertising] of gambling organised on the Internet by private
operators in other Member States for profit is consistent with Community
law”.
In support, the court cited its 2009 ruling
in a similar case involving Portugal’s sports betting
monopoly.
Significantly, the court stated in the Sweden
case that Member States have the right to “exclude private profit-making
interests from the gambling sector” and “may restrict the operation of gambling
to public or charitable bodies”.
Friedrich Stickler, president of European
Lotteries, hailed the ruling:
“The Court has given full backing to the
gambling model we stand for, a model from which the whole of society benefits.
It has once again rejected the arguments of the many private online gambling
operators which pursue purely commercial interests.”
European
Lotteries represents government lotteries operating games of chance for public
benefit in 40 European countries, including all 27 EU Member States.
THREE NEW CASINOS POSSIBLE IN AUSTRIA
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Austria’s
parliament has passed a major overhaul of the country’s gambling laws that will
expand the number of land-based casinos to 15 and could end Casinos Austria’s
government-sponsored monopoly on the industry as the three new licenses will be
opened for bid throughout the European Union.
The licenses are part of a package of
revisions targeting the street-level machine gaming market in the provinces.
Player protection figures strongly in the new law, and it is believed that new
restrictions will put many independent operators out of business, contrary to
the massive expansion that was expected.
Under the new law the street market will have
stakes and prizes limited to a maximum €10
and a top prize of €10,000. The number of
machine arcades will be based on local population, with one arcade licensed for
every 200 residents, every 600 residents in Vienna. All machines will be
directly networked to the Ministry of Finance.
Also, there must be a minimum distance
between arcades and local casinos of 15 kilometers, and in the case of Vienna,
two kilometers.
FRANCE’S BARRIÈRE WEIGHS STOCK LISTING
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French
casino operator Groupe Lucien Barrière is considering listing on the stock
market. The group announced that it had filed a registration document with
market regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers. The filing said that if the
company chooses to pursue a public offering, the listing would go ahead before the
end of the year.
International hotel group Accor
owns a 49 percent share of the casino operator, which is controlled by the
Barrière-Desseigne family, which
founded the group.
Barrière operates 36 casinos in France, three
in Switzerland and one in Egypt.
Accor is said to be considering the sale of
its stake, possibly through an IPO.
POLICE IN ISRAEL TARGET WEB SITES BASED OVERSEAS
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Israeli police have
ordered Internet service providers in the country to block access to overseas
gambling Web sites.
The move follows the arrest of 28 people in
recent weeks in connection with distributing prepaid cards in the country for
play on sites belonging to Victor Chandler and Stan James.
Only two operators are licensed by the
Israeli government to offer e-gaming to Israeli players, National Lottery and
Winner-Toto. Credit card companies were forced in 2007 to remove their payment
option from non-licensed sites in 2007.
According to the Haaretz newspaper, a number
of ISPs have asked for a one-week extension to study the legal and
technological implications. The ISPs are arguing the block could easily be
circumvented by the Web sites and that police do not have the legal authority
to impose the filter.
IGT EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH ICELAND LOTTERY
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U.S.-based slot
giant International Game Technology has signed an eight-year extension of its
contract with the University of Iceland Lottery.
The new agreement calls for the placement of
190 of IGT’s new MLD video slot games, the installation of IGT Casinolink as
the lottery’s casino management system and implementation of EZ
Pay.
The new contract provides for continuing
collaboration between the University of Iceland Lottery and IGT through Oct. 1,
2018.
The MLD machines will be the upright S MLD
model fully equipped for server-based gaming, ticket-in/ticket-out, multi-game
capability and the ability to switch between video slots to three-, four- or
five-reel games.
The IGT Casinolink system will replace the
existing Megabucks central system.
IGT’s partnership with the lottery dates back to 1993 when the
lottery received its authorization to operate VLTs and use the proceeds for the
expansion and renovation of the university’s campus. Currently, the lottery
operates 470 IGT gaming terminals located in approximately 40 locations.
EC TAKES EXCEPTION TO RESTRICTIONS PLANNED IN POLAND
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The
European Commission has issued a detailed opinion against draft legislation in
Poland to regulate online gambling and betting.
According to the European Gaming and Betting Association, a trade
group representing commercial online operators, a number of key provisions in
the draft are under scrutiny, among them a requirement for licensees to be
established in Poland, the possibility to exclude companies and a requirement
for online betting companies to install and store their servers in
Poland.
The measure also requires all transactions related to betting
services to be carried out through a Polish bank or in a branch of a foreign
bank established in Poland.
The measure also would ban online poker, another sticking point
for foreign operators.
“Some of these provisions seem to stem from
a legitimate wish to regulate and enforce the rules for the online gaming
market, but they duplicate requirements already fulfilled in other
jurisdictions,” said a spokeswoman for the association. “EU-licensed and
regulated companies can fulfill all necessary requirements on fraud prevention
and consumer protection without being necessarily established in Poland. This
draft law would leave Polish consumers without a fair, secure and competitive
online gaming market.”
The draft law was posted with the European Commission and EU
Member States in April. The commission has issued standstill period until
August 16, during which time Poland cannot adopt the measure as law.
Poland now is required to reply to the commission’s objections.
REGULATORS IN UK REFUSE BID TO EXPAND LOTTERY SERVICES
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Britain’s
National Lottery Commission has turned down an application by Camelot, the
company which runs the National Lottery, to offer commercial services through
its network of lottery terminals.
“The Commission is minded to refuse to grant
consent to Camelot’s application on the basis of the EU/competition law
concerns it raises,” the commission said.
Camelot wants to offer mobile top-up, calling
cards for international telephone calls and electronic fund transfers, among
other services, through the terminals
and said the commission’s decision was flawed and that it was confident its
proposals do not breach either European or competition law.
“Camelot remains convinced that its detailed
and carefully considered plans, based on thorough and robust legal advice,
should allow it to offer commercial services through National Lottery
retailers,” the company said.
The commission stated that its decision was
only provisional and that it would make a final ruling by September
3.
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