UNIÃO EUROPEIA: Normas do Tribunal para pôr termo aos monopólios de jogo

Stanley International Betting Ltd, a company operating in international sports betting: “This judgement reinforces the historic 2003 ‘Gambelli’ case-law ruling on freedom to provide cross-border services in sports betting.” The company is now calling on the European Commission to act by enforcing this settled law and for government and regulators to fully apply it.

European Betting Association (EBA), an association of leading European gambling operators, believes that with the Placanica ruling the legal position of regulated European-licensed operators has been further clarified and that all the necessary guidance now exists to enable governments to revisit their policies in this area. The EBA hopes that governments looking for long-term solutions that are compliant with European law protect the interests of consumers and enable a regulated European industry to develop in partnership with governments as opposed to in conflict with them, now see and seize the opportunity for a dialogue with the industry.

European States Lotteries and Toto Association, an independent European association composed of State Lottery and Toto companies established in Europe welcomes the ECJ judgment as it “recognises that member states can decide to limit gambling and betting activities through a licensing system with a single or multiple operators and whereby the licensee(s) must be able to make a sufficiently attractive offer including advertising and the use of new distribution methods to execute its channelling task. (see §55 of the judgement).”

MEP Christofer Fjellner (Sweden, EPP-ED): “The ruling is expressively clear and sends clear message to all stakeholders: companies, Commission and member states. To the member states, the message is ‘You have to change your own legislation, or we will do it for you’. And to the Commission, they have to enforce the Treaty”.

The gambling verdict was warmly welcomed by another MEP Malcolm Harbour, the EPP-ED Group Spokesperson and Internal Market Coordinator. “Many EU countries are openly flouting internal market rules and discriminating against legitimate and well-managed sports-betting activities, including major UK operators. The Placanica case brings us closer to creating a genuine single market also in the gambling sector,” he said, adding that “member states cannot, on the one hand, incite and encourage people to participate in their own state sponsored gambling activities, while at the same time invoking consumer protection as a reason to suppress sports betting”