GamblingCompliance: Bwin.Party Shrugs Off German Court Defeat

By Daniel MacAdam, published on GamblingCompliance.com

Skill game for money in France: is it legal?

by Thibault Verbiest & Pascal Reynaud, Ulys law firm

Skill games for money are becoming more and more popular in France on the internet. But is it legal? This is the question we are trying to answer below.
Concerning the legal framework of skill games in France, we should first say that there is no specific law on that topic.  Four laws provide the legal framework of the game of chance or bingo, and sometimes give some information concerning skill games: the 1983 Act concerning the prohibition of games of chance; the 1836 Act concerning the prohibition of bingo; the 2010 Act concerning the opening of on line game of chance; and article 121-36 of the Consumer Code concerning the legality of specific games of chance during sales promotion. … Continue Reading

EGR: Breaking news: EC approves Schleswig-Holstein law

By James Bennett, published at egrmagazine.com

The European Commission has ruled Schleswig-Holstein’s draft gambling law as compliant with EU law, giving Germany’s northernmost state the green light to pass a bill this summer and the licensing process to begin as early as this autumn, eGaming Review has learned.

A Betfair spokesman called the Commission’s approval a “decisive step” and told eGaming Review it would apply for a licence there if and when the bill was passed. bwin.party’s co-chief executive Norbert Teufelberger told this publication last month the newly merged business would apply for a licence, while John Shepherd, director of corporate communications, said: “Our position has not changed. If the Schleswig-Holstein law is passed, we will apply for a licence.” … Continue Reading

ITALIAN REGULATORY UPDATE – Q01/11

By Quirino Mancini*

It could hardly be disputed that when it comes to remote gaming (such notion including Internet, mobile and interactive tv), the Italian market is at present the most, and probably also the best, regulated gaming environment across Europe. So much so, that the basic principles of the Italian regulatory model combining the possibility to offer quite a wide range of remote gaming services to the requirement of doing it only and strictly under the scope of a locally-granted licence, have been replicated also across the Alps by other jurisdictions (notably France and Denmark) … Continue Reading

GamingIntelligence: Schleswig-Holstein ready to break German State Treaty

By Steve Hoare, published at GamingIntelligence.com – 19.04.2011

The closure of the biggest US-facing online poker sites by the Department of Justice has been grabbing the headlines in recent days, but European operators may soon have more good news to cheer closer to home as the German state of Schleswig-Holstein looks set to force through its Gaming Act, a move that would leave the rest of Germany with no gaming legislation.The gaping chasm between the viewpoints of Schleswig-Holstein and the likes of Bavaria makes a compromise unlikely. Talks between the 16 state presidents over a new State Treaty to govern online gaming are ongoing but have been characterised as a “hard fight”. … Continue Reading