Bad News For Ladbrokes

Published: Friday, September 09, 2005 Online-Casinos.com

BAD NEWS FOR LADBROKES

After months of arguing, a defeat in the Dutch Supreme Court

There was bad news for UK betting group Ladbrokes this week, which suffered another defeat in its legal fight with the Dutch state monopoly De Lotto that dominates betting in that country.

Ladbrokes has fought for the right to offer its Internet services to Dutch gamblers in terms of the European Union's open trade agreements. After having its arguments rejected by a lower court, the determined betting group took the case to the Dutch Supreme Court, which has now confirmed the earlier ruling banning the firm from taking bets in The Netherlands.

The decision in the main proceedings follows a summary ruling in February, which forced Ladbrokes to block customers with a Dutch IP address.

De Lotto claimed Ladbrokes was acting illegally by accepting bets from Dutch citizens, and the ruling sets a precedent that could now lead to similar action being taken against other egaming operators.

All is not lost yet, however. Ladbrokes has started preparing an appeal which it hopes to have heard before the year is out.

John Reilly, Ladbrokes Managing Director of eGaming says, "Our aim has always been to appeal this case until it is heard in the European Court of Justice, as we have always accepted that in the context of Dutch Law we will lose. We believe that betting is subject to Article 49 of the Treaty of Rome as other goods and services are."