In a letter to the European Commission, Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner said the Dutch gambling monopoly is justified because Holland Casino tries to prevent gambling addiction and to counter money laundering.
Earlier in April, European Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy criticized the Dutch gambling monopoly saying that it is effectively imposing a restriction on the free traffic of services.
Elsewhere, the German competition watchdog has ruled that Germany’s state lottery operators must drop their monopoly and allow competition from private companies. The Federal Cartel Office said the decision has no bearing on similarly structured controls on sports betting by German state operators. “My opinion is that sports betting firms cannot invoke our decision,” said Ulf Boege, Head of the Federal Cartel Office.
In Sweden, a reform of the current gambling monopoly appears imminent. Svenska Spel, the state owned gambling operator created in 1997 from the merger of bookmaker Tipstjänst with the state lottery, has received the criticism of members of the Swedish Parliament as it spends large amounts of its budget on aggressive marketing campaigns and recently embraced the internet poker market.
Although the four-party Alliance does not have a common gambling policy in place for the September general elections, Gunnar Axén, spokesman for the Moderate Party said he feels that there is a greater willingness than before to discuss alternative solutions.
“The Moderate Party wants to get rid of the current monopoly and replace it with a regulated market that allows private actors to apply for gaming licences,” he added.
The International Gaming Conference & Expo, slated to take place November 5-7 in Dublin, will feature an extensive roster of regulators and leaders from key European jurisdictions which will discuss the possibility of de-regulation in Germany and other European markets as well as the implication of the study of the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law and its recommendations.
On September 20 in London, the SportBusiness Group will provide a forum for online operators to meet with sports organizations and explore tie-ups to reach new audiences. Delegates will get practical and legal advice from experts, including law firm Addleshaw Goddard and Sports Media & Management International, responsible for the sponsorship deal between online casino 888.com and soccer team Sevilla FC.
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