The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has called on the European Commission to take swift action against the German government after the introduction of a ban on online gaming and betting in the country.
According to EGBA, the German Interstate Treaty on gaming, which came into force on 1st January 2008 and bans electronic gaming and gambling except on horse racing, is in direct contravention of European Union law, as it restricts the rights of EGBA’s members to provide services under Article 49 of the Treaty of Rome.
EGBA, an association of the leading European gaming and betting operators including Bet-at-home.com, bwin, Digibet, Carmen Media Group, Expekt, Interwetten, PartyGaming and Unibet, says that the German Interstate Treaty has come into force despite formal objections raised by the European Commission under its notification procedure.
Commenting on EGBA's position, Norbert Teufelberger, Chairman of the association, argued that:
“Prohibition is not and has never been a solution, be it in our sector or other sectors. It is not a responsible approach and cannot be a substitute to an efficient gaming policy."
"Focusing on online gaming does not make sense when most recent peer reviewed studies show that although online and offline gaming has a different target audience, players’ behaviour is similar whether online or offline. Furthermore, in a regulated environment online gaming allows for higher transparency and traceability."
Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General of the EGBA added that:
“The German Interstate Treaty is incompatible with EU law, and its adoption has left us with no other choice but to make a formal complaint to the EC. We urge the Commission now to fast track our complaint and launch infringement proceedings against Germany."
A comprehensive report in our Intelligence Report series examining offshore e-commerce and online gaming is available in the Lowtax Library at http://www.lowtaxlibrary.com/asp/subs_reports.asp and a description of the report can be seen at http://www.lowtaxlibrary.com/asp/description_report6.asp
Network Tweets
Network BlogsContent
provided by
|
Archive | Resources | Partners | Site Map | Links | Newsletter Archive | Contact | RSS Feeds | About | Syndication | Advertising & Marketing | Recruitment | Terms & Conditions | Privacy & Cookies
Copyright © 2012 - All Rights Reserved - Tax-News.com
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Tax-News.com has taken reasonable care in sourcing and presenting the information contained on this site, but accepts no responsibility for any financial or other loss or damage that may result from its use. In particular, users of the site are advised to take appropriate professional advice before committing themselves to involvement in offshore jurisdictions, offshore trusts or offshore investments.
Write a comment