Transcript Remote Gambling Regulatory Intensive

Remote Gambling Regulatory
Intensive
EU overview
London, 13 April 2006
Thibault Verbiest
Partner ULYS law firm, Brussels
[email protected]
Gambling: EU overview
• 16 February 2006: exclusion of gambling
from Services directive by EP
• Council unlikely to include gambling: why?
Political reasons
Timing: Swiss Institute report likely basis
for a sector specific act
Other priorities
Gambling: EU overview
• Consequences (1)
• Legal framework unchanged:
Gambling services = services (Schindler)►
article 49 EC Treaty
Possible restrictions for imp.reas.gen.int
(consumer protection, fight against fraud) +
proof of a consistent gaming policy
(Gambelli).
Gambling: EU overview
• Consequences (2)
• No legal certainty: online gambling services still
subject to differing national interpretations:
 Germany (recent Constit. Court ruling ► “nat.
sports betting monop. Illegal”) + The Netherlands
(Breda ruling): +/- compliant
 France (Zeturf ruling) + Italy (recent ISP
blocking): not compliant
Gambling: EU overview
• Consequences (3)
• EU Commission case-by-case assessment:
art. 226 EC Treaty ► ECJ last resort
No legal certainty: Com. discretionary
power to investigate complaints
Time consuming: int.market affairs ► 25
commissioners unanimity
Gambling: EU overview
• Consequences (4)
• More ECJ cases expected ►preliminary
ruling references
Placanica case (“Gambelli 2”): Hearing in
May 2006
Italy: national courts probably to refer on
the ISP blocking
Gambling: EU overview
• Agenda
 Adoption of the services directive by Council
 Publication of the Swiss Institute draft report
(April-May) ► gambling services directive?
 Commission: infringements proceedings against 7
MS (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy,
the Netherlands and Sweden) on basis of sports
betting operator complaints ► market opening?
Gambling: EU overview
• Concluding remarks
• Exclusion of gambling services ►only
apparent victory for monopolies
Emphasizes need for sector specific act
Acceleration of Commission investigations
and scrutiny
National courts more and more “proGambelli”
Thank you for your attention