Regulation round-up 2 July 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (26 June to 2 July 2013)
German regulation “set to fail”, claims EGBA
Industry lobby group slams lack of progress from German regulator
Plans to regulate online gambling in Germany are “set to fail”, according to industry lobby group the European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA).
It said the situation can only be resolved if the regulatory approach, which has met with criticism from the European Commission, is completely revised or the tender procedure restarted.
Germany’s First Amendment to the Interstate Treaty on Gambling came into force on 1 July 2012 in order to pave the way for a restricted market opening for sports betting, however progress has been stunted due to legal wrangles and one year on the first dot.de licence is yet to be awarded.
Bulgaria blacklist creates paradox, trade group says
Bulgaria’s online gambling regulations have created a “paradox” in which operators are penalised for the lack of accreditation but not told how to become licensed, according to industry group the Bulgarian Gaming Association (BTAMOGI).
Last week 28 domains were added to the country’s egaming blacklist, augmenting the original list published earlier this month, with comments from the chairman of the country’s gambling commission adding to the confusion.
Seven days in regulation:
ARJEL partners with advertising authority
French online gambling regulator ARJEL has entered into an agreement with the country’s advertising industry’s regulatory organisation L’Autorité de Régulation Professionnelle de la Publicité (ARPP) in an effort to tackle online gambling addiction.
The partnership will see the two authorities exchanging information to ensure an appropriate regulatory environment, with a particular focus on gambling advertising.
PokerStars among new DOGA members
Three new operators have joined the Danish Online Gambling Association (DOGA), taking its number of members up to 10.
TivoliCasino.dk, SpilNu.dk, admitted within the last two weeks, and PokerStars, which joined in May, are the latest companies to join DOGA after Ladbrokes, Bet24 and Betsson became members of the trade association last year.
Hungary could be set to issue its first egaming licences after the country’s National Assembly approved draft legislation. However questions have previously been raised as to the compatibility of the legislation – which could also lead to the blacklisting of unlicensed operators – with EU law.
Amendments had been submitted last year for comment from the European Commission, proposing a gross profits tax of 20% for all licensed operators. The EC is yet to publish a response, however lobby group the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) has expressed its concerns with “unrealistically high” licensing fees.