Extend – The regulation of gambling divides EU member states.

The discussion focused attempt to better understand the different legal frameworks and policies of the Member States with regard to the dimension of the game as a whole, its objectives and instruments. That debate was conducted on the basis of a report prepared by the Presidency to reflect the work done during the second half of 2008. The commitment of this research was an initiative taken by the Presidency in July in response to a petition filed jointly by several States. This is the first time that the spokesmen of the Council have addressed this issue in more detail.

The report of the Presidency proposed to reflect in depth on key issues such as protection of public order, the fight against addiction, protection of minors, consumer protection, tools to combat illegal gambling, and taxes.

However, as expected, There were divisions of opinion. The United Kingdom, Austria and Malta were the countries most problems silver at the possibility of a Community regulation. For its part, Spain was in favor of a common standard and called for further efforts in this regard.

Supporters in the harmonization of national laws, they stressed the need to continue to analyze the peculiarities of the sector during the semester of Czech and Swedish presidency of the EU. In particular, they stressed that this is a sector that includes very sensitive issues such as protection of minors and is also a very important source of revenue.

The national laws differ widely from one Member State to another, so that while in countries like France, Germany or Italy gambling are prohibited and subject to specific authorization, in others the law is more open. This is The main obstacle to overcome, as evidenced by the Council on Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research) held yesterday in Brussels.

In addition, some delegations argued that there are a dozen cases related to gambling that are being considered by the Court of Justice of the EU and start negotiations for EU legislation in this regard, it could interfere with the process. The European Commission, which had tried to include this aspect in the policy known as the “Bolkestein” for the liberalization of services in the EU showed no intention of submitting a short-term proposal.

As regards to gambling on the Internet, are six member states that completely prohibit Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Netherlands and Poland, others do not reach the ban, but are more restrictive than with other modes.

In terms of market structure, most countries apply different rules to different segments of the industry (lotteries, sports betting and horse, casinos, bingo). Lotteries are often dependent on monopolies or agencies that have exclusive rights, while for betting more often license.

So far the problems associated with gambling and betting have been solved at the national level, however, the Presidencies of the EU is to move towards common principles, particularly in terms of supervision, simpler operation of the domestic market.

As long as the lack of harmonization in the sector, each country will continue to have freedom, and respect for Community law, to regulate the activity of gambling and betting .

And as for game companies operating in Europe, some will continue to meet the strict regulations of their countries and others, continue to roam at your leisure …