European Union Closer To Agreement on Online Gambling

The law as a rule is about definitions and the laws regarding online gambling in the European Union have not as yet been clearly defined. It is complicated and difficult for everyone to be on the same page for Europe's online gambling legislation. Some progress seems to be made regarding clarity, recently when the Spanish E.U. Presidency suggested that a common definition of illegal gambling is vital to the coordinated and effective regulation of gambling throughout the E.U. trading bloc.

If illegal gambling is to be successfully prevented throughout Europe then a collaborative effort by the member states is essential. The E.U. Competitiveness Council was presented with proposals that appear to suggest that the different national laws of the 27 E.U. member nations must be considered in order to adopt a common definition of illegal gambling and to respond effectively to situations created by illegal operators. The E.U. Presidency sent a questionnaire to all member states asking about their policies on online gambling and how each country defines the term ‘illegal gambling’. It was noted that all member states have a public authority in charge of regulation and control of the sector. It was also pointed out that online gambling is either regulated, or is in the process of being legalized in most of the 27 states, excluding states that have been stalling on the issue such as Greece, Portugal, Germany, Romania, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Lithuania.

Control measures for illegal gambling web sites include blocking of ISPs, blocking financial transactions, fines and possible imprisonment for violators. Secretary general of the European Gambling and Betting Association, Sigrid Ligné, stated, "This report is the most balanced," she said pleased, "It tries to strike a fair balance between member states’ right to regulate the sector and the obligation to respect treaty rules”.