17-02-2006 Gambling excluded from the scope of the European Services Directive

As anticipated by Bookmakers Review on Monday, the European Parliament decided to exclude gambling from the scope of the Services Directive.

The European Betting Association and the Remote Gambling Association believe that the European Parliament has missed an important opportunity to promote the adoption of fair and sustainable rules for the EU gambling market.

Both associations also believe that the sector will, for the time-being, only be subject to the EC Treaty, mainly Articles 43 and 49, as interpreted by the settled case law of the European Court of Justice.

The facts and data gathered by the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law which, in the next few months, is due to publish a study of gambling services in Europe, become a crucial factor in shaping specific rules to be adopted at EU level.