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EU Ministers discuss illegal gambling

Category: General

On 26 May, the Progress Report on gambling and betting in the Member States was presented by the Spanish Presidency to the Competitiveness Council. The presentation not only focused on the definition of illegal gambling generated by the Working Group on gambling and betting, but also highlighted the differing measures taken to combat illegal gambling as reported by Member States in a questionnaire distributed by the Working Group. The conclusions drawn from the report also highlight the effectiveness of Internet Service Provider (ISP) blocking in order to allow Member States to determine the validity of licences within their own territory. ISP blocking is seen by most Member States as more practical than the blocking of financial transactions due to the difficulties involved in such measures. Additionally, the report advocates Member States utilising public awareness campaigns to promote education and responsible gaming in order to avoid illegal gaming throughout the EU.

Malta was the only Member State to refrain from supporting the document maintaining its position that gambling services are the same as any other economic activity and internal market rules should apply. Malta also argued that it has already implemented significant regulations to prevent illegal gambling and therefore does not see any reason for EU initiative in this policy area. Although the United Kingdom has previously taken the same stance as Malta, the implicit support of the Progress Report by the UK could signal a softening of its position towards EU action regarding illegal gambling. The Spanish Presidency hopes that the Competitiveness Council along with the European Commission will take this report into account while developing the Green Paper on gambling due in autumn 2010.

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