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Well done Filipe!!
:hattip:Very interesting to watch!
Thanks for the information, it’s the first time I hear from it!
Quote:they have put more than 8 EU countries under investigation of monopoly abuse.Do you happen to know which countries these are?
From April this year the following countries were under investigation by the European Commission:
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands
Now, at least France and Portugal were added to the list.
If it happens that EU takes a position forcing these countries to end with their monopolies we have to thank bwin.
Please note that what is at stake on EU is not online gambling but gambling by private companies. EU would never make a distinction between online gambling and the offline version like in the US. If there are private companies operating offline, no one would block online companies of doing the same. That kind of proteccionism is not allowed.
So refreshing to hear all that logic, I just LOVE the European Union.
Hopefully european media will continue to focus on the national (state) level, so the European Union and her policies can continue to stay under the radar (read: based on economic sense and not public opinion).
you returned from the far east PJ?
if so, welcome back, loli hope EU will handle this on EU level and not state level
might take a few years thoughHi Elgoog,
nope still in the far east for entire 2006, I like it here!
I interviewed a CEO of a floor factory on my Shanghai trip, this guy went from scratch to USD 30 million yearly revenue in just 3 years! I know where I will use my affiliate revenue for when I graduate!
2 nice quotes:
– from the chief marketing of the floor factory: “The real communists live in Belgium.” (To be generalised for the entire west IMHO)
– as seen at the entrance of my exchange university: “Not failure, but low aim, is crime.”Anyway, the world will be amazed in 2008 (Olympics) and by 2010 (World Expo), China is going to take over. (IMO)
elgoog wrote:i hope EU will handle this on EU level and not state level
might take a few years thoughWith recent developments in France arresting 2 bwin execs, it was considered an abuse. EU schedule a faster investigation. Bwin is also putting pressure on it. Let’s wait and see.
Recent developments in Italy demonstrate a move into opening the market for gambling.
The constitutional court (surpreme court equivalent) in Germany ruled that the state government can only retain their gambling monopoly if they accept their responsibility to minimise gambling adiction.
This has been in line with EU rulings so far.
Goldfinger wrote:The constitutional court (surpreme court equivalent) in Germany ruled that the state government can only retain their gambling monopoly if they accept their responsibility to minimise gambling adiction.This has been in line with EU rulings so far.
But as you may know with the introduction Of Euro Millions game most monopolies are advertising too much on media, what is inconsistent with moral issues that are being pushed up to maintain monopolies. At the same time they are showing growth rates of 2 digits what is also inconsistent with that.
Euro millions doesn´t run in Germany. That was the exact point of the constitutional court – if the monopolies want to shut down the private firms they need to scale back their advertisement themselves and commit to preventing gambling addiction.
Well but that is not the general case around Europe. In France they advertise hard, for example.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) – The European Commission said Thursday it has begun investigating three more European Union member nations to see if they are restricting access to their gambling and online sports betting markets.
The EU’s executive office said it is seeking information from France and Italy on sports and online betting and from Austria on the casino industry. Those investigations are in addition to probes of a half-dozen other nations, including Germany and the Netherlands, that it began in April.
“I have made no secret of the fact that I intend to pursue these inquiries,” said EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy.
In France last month, two executives of the Austrian online company BWIN were jailed for three days for allegedly breaking French gambling laws by moving into the national market. The move highlighted the dispute between online and national betting monopolies in Europe.
“I also have concerns about the legal uncertainty suffered by sport betting operators and related stakeholders,” McCreevy said in a statement.
Many of the 25 EU nations have state-owned companies that dominate national markets and want to protect their interests. There is free movement across the EU for services, but restrictions can be applied if they protect a general interest and are applied consistently.
The European Betting Association said, however, that the market must fundamentally change.
BWIN co-chief executives Manfred Bodner and Norbert Teufelberger have said they plan to take France to the EU’s highest court, the European Court of Justice, following their detention in Monaco last month.
“How long must EU licensed and regulated operators endure legislation which causes wrongful financial harm and deprives their executives of even the basic right to travel freely in the EU Member States,” asked Didier Dewyn, EBA secretary-general. “We hope these new proceedings will put an end to the witch-hunts,” he added.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
filipe,
i searched the web and Associated Press, but cant find the artical,
do you have a link please?As I said earlier the arrest of Bwin execs in France had a great impact in terms of regulation of gambling in Europe.
The European Commission may force France to give up its state monopoly on gambling. The Bwin case a month ago has provoked EU consternation in several countries across Europe. They are targetting the PMU and Française des Jeux.
The case of Bwin (formerly Bet and Win) was just the starting point in a clash between France and the European Union. The company was pursued by French authorities for anti-gaming laws, and asked the EU to intervene. They are now looking at the state monopoly on gambling, currently held by the PMU and the Française des Jeux.
In fact, the French state may be allowed to keep its monopoly, under certain conditions. However, the EU has insisted that Française des Jeux and PMU cannot maintain their monopoly if they are organising national lotteries. FDJ, for example, organises the French national lottery, and has also implemented Euromillions, giving it a share of foreign markets as well.
This latter case has raised the ire of Brussels commissioners, who are furious that the French state is allowing itself to enter foreign markets while preventing competition at home.
The PMU’s strangehold on horse racing betting results in many unsatisfied punters. The explosion in online betting with foreign-based sites in France has happened largely due to the ungenerous odds given by the PMU, who are effectively the equivalent of the British Tote. French racecourses are much unlike their British equivalents due to the lack of independent bookmakers, and many French gamblers find themselves betting online on a variety of events not even proposed by the PMU or FDJ.
The French state now faces the possibility of having to open up its market to competition in exchange for a licence and taxes. It could, of course, take the American route and ban online gambling altogether.
