The “reform” of the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling – Deemed to fail?

Leading German Gaming law experts have discussed the reform of the German State Treaty on Gambling with representatives of the press in Berlin. The experts’ verdict regarding the new regulatory regime was as unanimous as it was devastating:

The new Interstate Treaty will not prevail. The required EU-coherence principle will not be met and new treaty violation proceedings by the EU commission against Germany are predictable. … Continue Reading

VMW Taxand´s Gaming, Sports & Entertainment practice group´s Annual Gaming Industry Event

25 May 2012, Amsterdam

For those who were able to attend our Annual Gaming Industry Event 2012 we hope that this will serve as a gentle reminder about the debates which took place and the (political) backdrop against which we met. If you were unable to attend then hopefully this will give you an impression of what took place at the end of May. … Continue Reading

Italy: Important Regulatory Update – Online Slots

Over the last few weeks two important regulatory developments have occurred in Italy concerning the last two games still missing from an already wide range of gaming products fully legal and regulated by AAMS (the Italian regulatory body): betting exchange and online slots.

With regard to betting exchange, on 19 May 2012 the European Commission gave its greenlight to the AAMS proposed rules that notably carry an unprecedented international pool liquidity rule that will allow operators to deal with foreign-based players too.  This is particularly remarkable bearing in mind that in all other games currently regulated by AAMS the general rule is (and will remain) that the offer is limited to domestic players only … Continue Reading

German states could be ready to embrace Schleswig-Holstein

By Wulf Hambach and Maximilian Riege

THE EU COMMISSION continues to block the new state treaty. The first draft had already fallen through with a big bang. Brussels did not hold back with its criticism either – in spite of the diplomatic tone.

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Brief commentary on the statement by the Federal Ministry of Finance on the draft bill of the Upper House (Bundesrat) on taxation of sports gaming (E 15)

By German Lawyer Dr. Bremer, WIRTSCHAFTSRAT GmbH and Prof. Dr. Englisch, University of Münster

With date on 26 March 2012, the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) presented the chairman of the Finance Committee of the Lower House (Bundestag) with its assessment of the state aid problem in the draft bill of the Upper House on taxation of sports gaming. The starting point of the legal review was merely the reduction of the tax rate with regard to horse racing bets. What at first glance … Continue Reading