Regulation round-up 17 January 2012
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (11 January to 17 January 2012).
Bwin.party ordered to cease all Portuguese advertising and sponsorship
Operator confirms it will appeal against the decision but agrees to suspend activities – Betclic and Betfair could also be affected by ruling.
A Portuguese court has ruled that bwin.party’s online gaming activities are illegal and that the operator must remove all of its advertising and sponsorship from national sporting competitions “ a move that could affect other European operators including Betclic and Betfair.
The court case began in 2005 when the Portuguese Casino Association and the national lottery operator Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa filed a complaint against bwin’s operations in the market. The two bodies alleged that the Austrian operator had an unfair advantage, as it was not subject to taxation or legislation under the terms of Portuguese law.
Currently Santa Casa is the only operator licensed to offer lottery and sports betting in Portugal. This was extended to include electronic services in 2003, making it illegal for other companies to offer online betting.
Portugal risks EC action following bwin.party ruling
The Portuguese government risks European Union (EU) sanctions over its ban on bwin.party’s advertising and sponsorship activities in the market as the law prohibiting foreign egaming operators is illegal, European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA) secretary general Sigrid Ligne has told eGaming Review.
“When a body states its intention to appeal a ruling, the enforcement of the ruling is normally supended, but in this ruling this has not been the case,” Ligne explained.
Seven days in regulation:
Belgium could award more licences in H1
The Belgian Gaming Commission has left the door open for foreign egaming operators to enter the EU country’s newly regulated market in the first half of this year but only if they are “Willing to respect legislation.”
Earlier this month the Commission named the first nine licensees to enter the dot.be market, although at present the ‘licences’ only amount to authorisations from the chairman of the regulatory authority. However Peter Naessens, head of the regulatory unit at the BGC, told eGaming Review that “We want to strengthen the legal basis by transforming these authorisations into full licences.”
Probability “excited” about potential US developments
Increased deposits from smartphone devices helped Probability record a 27% year-on-year increase in net gaming revenue, the mobile operator revealed in its trading update for the three months ended 31 December.
And the company has noted with optimism the recent clarification of the Wire Act as a potential green light for its maiden entry into the US market.
ARJEL repeals Titan’s sports betting licence
The Nation Traffic has had its sports betting license repealed by ARJEL after the operator announced it will not launch its Titanbet offering.
The company submitted a request to cancel the licence in late December last year after deciding it would not be profitable to launch Titanbet in the market. As a result, ARJEL announced that it had agreed to revoke the licence, which had been awarded in March last year.
Betclic and PMU mobile offerings approved by ARJEL
Betclic and PMU have had their mobile betting software approved by ARJEL, the French regulator has announced.
Former monopoly PMU, which saw turnover from online activities pass 1bn earlier this month, can now accept bets on horse racing and sporting events via the device.