BULGARIA

The Bulgarian government has imposed a 15 percent tax rate on all gambling activities in the country in a shock move described as “genocide” by one of the industry’s leading businessmen.

Source: GamblingCompliance.com

FINLAND

Finland’s schedule to review its outdated lottery law is slipping as politicians endorse the social responsibility concerns lauded in the ECJ’s Bwin Liga decision, but, at the same time, a new advertising campaign by the monopoly lottery operator Veikkaus is stirring controversy by apparently targeting children. Source: GamblingCompliance.com

FRANCE

One of the chief proponents of France’s online gambling reform has voiced his fears that a licensing regime will not be in place in time for next year’s World Cup Finals in South Africa, meanwhile observers suggest that a combined remote gaming market with Italy could be the ultimate goal for French officials. Source: GamblingCompliance.com

FRANCE

European Commission president José Manuel Barroso has confirmed that Michel Barnier, France’s former agriculture minister, is to replace Irishman Charlie McCreevy as European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services.

Source: GamblingCompliance.com

GERMANY

An Italian advocate general is set to deliver an advisory opinion on the validity of Germany’s state gambling monopolies on March 3, 2010, an opinion that will likely draw on last week’s oral proceedings which examined a total of seven cases referred to the ECJ from German courts. Source: GamblingCompliance.com

GERMANY

According to the latest research from Germany, approximately 2 million German adults currently participate in some form of online gambling, despite its prohibition under the State Treaty on Gaming. Source: GamingIntelligence.com

IRELAND

Ireland’s betting industry could afford a sigh of relief on Wednesday after what had been described as the toughest budget in living memory passed them by leaving betting duty fixed at 1 percent, but the sports on which betting depends were not so fortunate.

Source: GamblingCompliance.com

ITALY

The revelation that an Italian-owned bookmaker based in the UK had links to organised crime is surprising if only for the ambitious and far-reaching involvement of the local Mafia. Source: GamblingCompliance.com

Following the break-up of a major mafia clan by police in the southern Puglia region of Italy earlier this month, the UK Gambling Commission has confirmed that the licence of online betting site Paradise Bet has been suspended while a review of the business is undertaken. Source: GamingIntelligence.com

ITALY

The European Commission has given the green light for Italian authorities to implement their new gambling laws - debuted during the summer - that will allow online casino games, cash poker and VLTs. GamblingCompliance.com

JERSEY

Jersey has paved the way for the internet gambling industry to come to its shores after finally approving a plan to establish a gambling commission on the island.

GamblingCompliance.com

THE NETHERLANDS

A European Court advisor has affirmed that the potential risk of gambling addiction and fraud may justify tough restrictions on cross-border gambling in the EU, but he applied pressure to Dutch betting monopoly De Lotto by suggesting that principles of transparency must still be applied in gambling licence tender processes.

GamblingCompliance.com

THE NETHERLANDS

A sell-off of state-owned Holland Casino was debated in the Dutch parliament this week, but with observers believing that outcome highly unlikely, the debate proved more interesting for its hints on how the government may choose to regulate their gambling industry in the aftermath of the ECJ’s ‘Bwin Liga’ verdict. GamblingCompliance.com

THE NETHERLANDS

In a blow to Betfair and Ladbrokes’ dispute with the Netherlands government over their right to provide gambling services to Dutch citizens, Advocate General Bot of the European Court of Justice said today that Member States could grant a single operator the right to provide gambling services in the country and reaffirmed the State’s right to prohibit unlicensed foreign operators from offering such services to its citizens. Source: GamingIntelligence.com

SPAIN

The head of Spain’s main charity lottery has cited the findings of this year’s ‘Schaldemose’ report in the European Parliament, adding ONCE’s voice to calls for Spanish regulation of internet gaming, while state-owned rival LAE faces the disquiet of lottery retailer groups in the country. GamblingCompliance.com

SPAIN

Spain’s national authorities are drawing closer to unveiling a first draft online gambling law, but observers warn that further progress will hinge on the attitudes of regional governments - some of which are already forging their own path towards regulation. GamblingCompliance.com

SWEDEN

Last month the Swedish Presidency presented its Progress Report on the Legal Framework for Gambling and Betting in the Member States of the European Union to the Competitiveness Council, a report which falls very short of a factual, neutral representation of the reality of the modern European gambling industry and which completely overlooks several forms of gambling which currently take place EU-wide, according to Euromat. Source: Euromat

SWEDEN

With Europe’s online gambling sector awaiting a formal opinion on the legality of Dutch gambling policy tomorrow, the ECJ has confirmed that Swedish rules on online gambling will be next in line for scrutiny before Europe’s top court in the New Year. GamblingCompliance.com

UNITED KINGDOM

The UK’s bingo industry received its second boost within the space of 48 hours after Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced that it now accepted that all games of bingo should be VAT free. GamblingCompliance.com

UNITED STATES

The leading Republican on the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday blasted two federal agencies, claiming they are cooperating with the committee chairman, Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts, in trying to repeal a US ban on internet gambling. GamblingCompliance.com

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