Regulation round-up 24 December 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (18 December to 24 December 2013)
France rejects poker liquidity sharing proposal
National Assembly blocks plans for a cross-nation pooling of liquidity, against the advice of ARJEL
French policy makers have rejected a proposed amendment to its gambling laws which would have opened the door to the sharing of liquidity pools with other regulated online poker markets in Europe.
Online poker has struggled across the continent in recent times, particularly in France where a number of operators have pulled out of the country altogether, with a pooling of liquidity seen by many as a possible solution.
However, the rapporteur of the committee on economic affairs Razzy Hammadi blocked the motion, telling the Assembly it would turn online poker into “an uncontrollable ogre eating one market after the other” and that the reason for poker’s travails was that it had “gone a little out of fashion”.
Betfair on standby as Bulgaria passes new gambling laws
Exchange and sportsbook operator to apply for local licence after MPs give green light to GGR switch
Betfair is set to become one of the first licensed foreign operators to enter the Bulgarian online gambling market after the country’s lawmakers passed a series of amendments to its Gambling Act aimed at creating much needed tax revenues.
The main amendment, which passed a final vote late last week, will see Bulgaria replace its current and unattractive 15% tax on stakes with a one-off licensing fee of 50,000 and a 20% tax on gross gaming revenue (GGR) from 1 January 2014.
The new measures will also see the abolition of Bulgaria’s near 200-strong domain blacklist which includes the likes of Betfair, bet365, Ladbrokes and William Hill.
European egaming underperformed in 2013, research shows
Gambling consultancy GBGC argues its 6% growth prediction for Europe’s egaming market represents a poor performance in 2013
The online gambling sector has continued to grow during 2013 however not at the rate it could have, according to a report published by Global Betting and Gaming Consultants (GBGC).
The consultancy said the 6% growth it forecasted for Europe’s egaming market this year should have been greater considering the proliferation of dot.country regulation.
Jurisdictions such as Denmark and Spain are recent converts to a ring-fenced egaming framework, and GBGC argued that while a 6% growth figure seems healthy when the Eurozone economic performance is taken into context, the market has still flattered to deceive.