Volume: 12 Issue: 12
(December 2013)

News

New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak announced on 21 November that he is preparing a bill that would allow non-US operators to apply for Restricted Foreign Internet Wagering (‘RFIW’) permits in New Jersey. Recipients would base operations in Atlantic City and be able to offer i-gaming internationally where legal, but not to US citizens. / read more

Discussions between the Romanian Government, the new gambling regulator, and industry representatives began in early December to finalise a draft legislative act by the end of the year, which will amend Romania’s gambling legislation and likely address the European Commission’s (EC) infringement concerns. / read more

The Singapore government announced on 28 November that it plans to draft new laws to make most online gambling services illegal in Singapore; it has issued a public consultation on the matter, ending 10 January 2014. / read more

Features

Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator and competition authority for the communications industry, published a report in November, that analyses ‘the volume, scheduling, frequency and exposure of gambling advertising’ in the UK to ascertain how gambling TV advertising has changed since the market was liberalised in 2007. / read more

The European Commission issued in November new infringement action against seven EU Member States regarding the compliance of their remote gambling legislation with EU law. This fresh action has been much demanded by many industry participants and commentators. David Clifton, Director at Clifton Davies Consultancy Limited, takes a look at the background to the EC’s latest action as well as its detail. / read more

The Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill, which will implement the UK government’s plan to change the regulation of online gambling from a point of supply to a point of consumption basis, has been approved by the House of Commons. However, the parliamentary Christmas break means the Bill is unlikely to receive Royal Assent in time for licences to be issued by 1 April 2014, as the Government had planned. / read more

The Italian gaming sector has not had the easiest of years, with operators having to contend with falling GGR figures, animosity from the media, and an ongoing tough economic climate. Quirino Mancini, a Partner at SCM Lawyers, reviews the past year for the Italian gaming market and the current state of play, giving his opinion in the process on what has ailed online gambling in Italy this year and on what needs to change to help Italy’s gaming sector improve in 2014. / read more

On 24 September the government of Slovenia published a new draft Gaming Act, in response partly at least to concerns that the existing legislation on gambling in Slovenia might not meet the requirements of EU law. While the new Gaming Act does propose changes to the gaming regime in Slovenia, it simultaneously appears to aim at maintaining the status quo, as Blaz Mrva of Mrva Law explains. / read more

Predictions from the UK, the EU, Australia and the US. / read more

The UK Gambling Commission has clarified the practices permitted to casino operators and third parties when providing competition and cash game poker. Andrew Cotton of Jeffrey Green Russell Ltd., explains the Commission’s guidance. / read more

The European Commission made public its intention to launch an infringement procedure against Belgium in November, on the grounds that its national legislation illegally restricts the supply of gambling services, a criticism that has been voiced since the very drafting of Belgium’s Gaming Act. Tatjana Klaeser, Attorney-at-law at Ulys law firm, analyses the story so far and Belgium’s reaction to the EC’s infringement proceedings. / read more

Recently, a number of events have occurred that might affect the Polish gaming market. On 20 November 2013, the European Commission (EC) published a press release according to which the Polish government is among those that received a formal request for information on national legislation restricting the supply of gambling services. According to the release, the EC is investigating the provisions of national laws that could potentially infringe the freedom of movement of services guaranteed by Art. 56 of the TFEU. The EC’s main area of concern includes the requirements of some national laws, which require gaming companies to have a physical presence in a given country before they can apply for a licence. The Polish act on gaming provides that a gaming licence may only be issued to a limited liability or joint-stock company that has its registered office in Poland. Additionally, there must be at least three shareholders in such a company and no shareholder may control more than a third of the company’s shares. / read more

Julian Harris and Melanie Ellis of Harris Hagan discuss the year ahead for online gambling in the UK. This article originally appeared on our homepage in December 2013. / read more

About Online Gambling Lawyer

The monthly publication exploring legal issues affecting operators in online gambling and gaming, on a global basis. Topics covered included licensing, offshore operators, mobile gaming, gambling payments, fixture lists and database rights, online poker, social gaming and gambling, online liquidity, advertising, sports betting, in-play betting, eSports, fantasy sports (DFS), Bitcoin gambling, and gambling fraud, as well as in-depth discussion of legislation such as the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive and the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA)... / read more