One of the heads of the European Commission recently expressed concern over gambling laws implemented by some European Union nations and, in what may come as a shock, her concern was that they were too restrictive. Answering a parliamentary question last week, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Elżbieta Bieńkowska said that the requirement of some countries that online gambling operators have a physical office in the country merits discussion. The question was posed by European Parliament member David Casa of Malta on June 9th, 2015: In a particular national gambling law that has been notified to…

The European Commission has joined the chorus of critics of Germany’s stalled online gambling regulatory regime. Late last month, the EC issued a formal rebuke of Germany’s three-year-old federal interstate gambling treaty. It’s been nearly one year since Germany awarded 20 federal online sports betting licenses but legal challenges by rejected applicants have prevented any of these licenses from taking effect. This failure to launch loomed large in the EC’s shaming letter, but it was far from the only criticism. The EC also chastised the lack of transparency during the license application process and questioned the reasoning behind Germany’s decision…

Gaming Intelligence – The UK Gambling Commission has notified the European Commission (EC) of its amended Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice for gambling operators. The notification was received by the EC yesterday (May 28th), starting a standstill period which expires on August 29th. The notification relates to amendments to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice that reflect changes in legislation effected by the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014, which extends the 2005 Gambling Act’s jurisdiction over remote gambling. FULL STORY (SUBSCRIPTION)