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EGBA Urges European Commission To Act Against Denmark

Industry group states that conduct of Danske Spil goes against spirit of free trade in the European Union.

Friday 28th December 2007

The European Gaming And Betting Association (EGBA) has called on the European Commission to take the Danish Government to the European Court of Justice regarding its monopolistic and exclusionary industry practices.

The EGBA counts big-name online gambling firms such as Party Gaming, Bwin, Unibet, bet-at-home.com, The Carmen Media Group, Expekt, Interwetten Gaming Ltd and digibet among its members and echoed previous calls from several Danish politicians, including Freddy Blak.

In an editorial in its latest newsletter, the EGBA claims that the Government of Denmark and its gambling monopoly, Danske Spil, are continuing to ignore the European Commission's quest for compliance with the spirit and principles of free movement of trade and services between European nations.

'As licensee under the Danish Pools And Lottery Act, Danske Spil is the only enterprise that can lawfully offer games, lotteries and bets comprised by the Act,' read the editorial.

'Section Ten of the Act expressly lays down that no one except the licensee (Danske Spil) may offer games defined by the Act in Denmark. Furthermore, no one except the licensee may arrange for participation in such games offered by anyone other than Danske Spil.

'We believe that any anti-online gambling legislation that is proposed or upheld by individual member states is likely to be breaking EU law. The EGBA is fighting against this discriminatory legislation, as we believe that it is being introduced primarily to protect State-run monopolies.

'Opening up markets to competition also gives consumers the benefits of lower prices and a wider choice of products and suppliers. A competitive environment, especially in the online world where technology reigns and trust in a brand is paramount, also helps promote consumer security and game fairness.'

 


Source: OnlineCasinoNews