european-court-rejects-german-gambling-restrictions

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European Court turns down German gambling constraints

8 September 2010
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German gaming constraints breach European Union law, the EU's greatest court has ruled.
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The European Court of Justice (ECJ) stated German laws that safeguard state for gaming were "unjustifiable".
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The judgment might open the method for foreign betting business to develop a presence in Germany.

A lobby group representing gaming companies, including PartyGaming and Bwin, called the judgement a "landmark".
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German authorities have actually validated betting monopolies by stating that they assist safeguard consumers from the unfavorable effects of gambling.

But the yohaig code ECJ said this was inconsistent with Germany's bet9ja promotion code yohaig and "intensive advertising" of its betting operations.
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The court stated: "The German rules on sporting bets constitute a constraint on the liberty to bet9ja's welcome offer services and the liberty of facility.

"The public monopoly of the organisation of sporting bets and lottos in Germany does not pursue the yohaig code objective of combating the yohaig code dangers of gaming in a consistent and systematic manner."

Several foreign wagering business, including Britain's Happy Bet and Gibraltar's Digibet, brought a case versus German regional authorities in Hesse and northern Schleswig-Holstein.

The European Gaming and Betting Association welcomed the ruling.
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"this promotion code is a landmark judgment which will have a definitive impact on the much-needed reform in Germany," it said in a declaration.

"Other member states have actually opened or are opening their markets. They show that consumers can be better safeguarded in a market that is both regulated and open up to competitors," it stated.
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However, European Lotteries, a lobby group for national lotteries in 40 nations, contested whether the judgment would open up the German market.

"On the contrary," the group said in a statement, "the court advised Germany that it needs to control more strictly the deal of hazardous kinds of betting such as casino video games and video gaming makers.
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"The court pointed once again to the higher threats connected with web gambling."

EGBA

European Lotteries