Czech Republic Proposes to Ban Online Gambling Advertising

The Czech Republic is proposing an amendment to it's gambling laws that if passed will ban foreign online betting companies from advertising their products in the country. According to the Association of Betting Service Providers Czech tax laws require gambling companies operating in the country to make charitable contributions of up to 20 percent of revenues on top of normal taxes. This situation is giving licensed companies operating in Europe catering to Czech clients, a clear advantage. The spokesperson for the Finance Ministry, Radek Ležatka, said, "These foreign online betting companies have no license from the Finance Ministry, and they pay no taxes in the Czech Republic, so we therefore support banning advertisement of foreign companies here," With this possible move the online gambling industry has quoted the E. U.' Parliament report, "The EU internal market should not be taken as the basis for regulating [the gambling] industry. Rules governing online gambling should not be laid down by the EU, as member states are quite capable of regulating the industry themselves," Czech authorities and foreign gambling companies have differing interpretations on the E.U. ruling. The director of the Association of Betting Service Providers, Marek Herman, said, "The European Court decided that the national governments of EU member states are entitled to prohibit in their territories illegal gambling operators. We expect the government to take clear and effective steps that will lead to the removal of ... foreign companies that profit in the Czech Republic without paying fees," CEO of the Remote Gambling Association, Clive Hawkswood, commented, "If someone in the Czech Republic is playing poker through a company based in Malta, are they crossing the border? The question is where the gambling takes place, where the company is based and licensed or where the consumer is based. Companies argue one way, and governments argue another,"