It is encouraging to note that Mr C McCreevy the European Commissioner in the Cabinet of International Market has been invited to attend and in turn has complimented the organizers of the conference. An appealing topic was the latest German Constitutional Court ruling on Oddset, the German state monopoly on sports betting and the extent to which this may impact on the industry at EU level. Oddset, the state monopoly boasts limitless win potential, forming part of an industry that spans a potential market exceeding euro 300 billion worldwide.
This came hot on heels of the decision German Federal Constitutional Court ruling on sports betting.
Many and wide-ranging were the newspapers comments in such a ruling. Manager Magazin quoted "it is a kick-of for private providers" whereas Sport1.de lambasted Oddset the Bavarian State operator saying boldly that "Sports Betting Monopoly is Unconstitutional". Equally vocal was the comment by German operators after the Constitutional Court issued its verdict on the 28th March implying that Private Betting Shops must be allowed to provide Sports Bets.
The mood was somber for a substantial roll of irregular betting shops which were rounded up by the state police and ordered to close down. So why was the organization of such a conference so important for the European regulatory scene.
To start with the conference was the perfect timing for experts to discuss the impact of the German constitutional ruling on the report issued by the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law dealing with the myriad gambling laws of 25 EU states. It is reassuring to note that the Commission signalled its intention to reform the EU Gaming Market.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate how the differing laws regulating on-line and off-line gambling services, as well as games in the editorial content of the media and certain types of promotional games, impact upon the smooth functioning of the Internal Market.
Another hot topic dealt in the conference of particular interest to Malta is the current prohibitionist stance taken by Italy.
The subject was discussed by Quirino Mancini in the light of the Astrabet interim decision. In his opinion the interim decision given by the Italian civil law court on Astrabet was only the first step since the state regulator could not be ordered to unblock the service until another case is successfully won at an administrative court level.
Hilary Stewart Jones, Paul Renney and Clare Adams were the experts on the UK scene.In their opinion , 2007 is projected to be very exciting year since the 2005 Gambling Act may smoothen the path for offshore operators who have settled in Channel Islands, Malta and Gibraltar targeting the UK market to return back to the fold.
Yet, significant obstacles still remain. Many are asking whether an acceptable and affordable UK tax regime will be announced in 2007 when the first remote applications for gaming licenses will be issued in April .
Questions proliferate whether there will be a one tax fits all and what will be the impact of vat for intercompany /third party supplies. Doubts also arise as to what will be the effective rule on advertising in UK for non-licensed operators and who will be the countries that will be added on the grey list of prohibited territories.
Let us hope that the Munich conference has served as an effective forum for cross-debate among operators, legislators and regulators in the wake of the issue of the study by the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law.
For more information visit the website
www.maltaconference.com and
www.gmmbusiness.com
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