Gambling Payments Intensive

World Online Gambling Law Report and E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy are proud to announce the launch of the fourth Gambling Payments Intensive, which will be held in central London on 27 October 2011.

Online gambling is the subject of much controversy internationally, as are the associated payments systems and operators. Online gaming and payments systems are notoriously difficult to regulate and, as a result, are subject to intense scrutiny.

The recent ‘Black Friday’ events in the US and their impact on payment processors, internet gaming operators and governments worldwide – most notably France and Alderney – illustrate the interdependence between payments systems and internet gambling operators, and highlighted the need for a clear, consistent approach to online gambling payment regulation.

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Legal Gaming in Europe Conference

Navigate the new landscape of European gambling laws in a post Green Paper era

• Determine the value of the Green Paper: Assess whether the European Commission is on track to establish a harmonised EU-wide framework and what minimum standards are required at an EU level with respect to consumer protection and preventing fraud
• Conquer opening markets: Understand the ins and outs of the regulatory framework in the EU’s newest opening regulated markets, including Spain, Denmark and Greece, in order to simplify your expansion strategy
• Updates on regulated markets: Ensure your business is in align with the latest legal developments and changes to products
• Leading operator case-studies: Hear from leading operators on how they are managing the complexities of multi-jurisdictional licenses; understand what the Green Paper means to them and their approach to new markets
• The USA: Assess the fallout from the Full Tilt situation and the Black Friday scandal. Discover the full impact for the operators involved, the lessons learnt by Regulators and what the long-term implications are for the entire industry

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How should we define ‘strict control’?

By Dr Alan Littler and Justin Franssen

Wave upon wave of preliminary  references have been sent to the Court of Justice of the European Union by national courts caught at the intersection between national gambling regulation and the principles upon which the internal market is founded.
Initially, the case-law concerned the mailing of lottery tickets in Schindler  and the operation of slot machines in Läärä,  but with the rise of the internet and the  revolution it sparked within the gambling  industry, gambling has spread like wildfire through the Court’s workload. Gambelli regulation of gambling, yet it would be  unimaginable to argue that gambling is  comparable to other activities from which  the Court has kept a distance, such as  pornography and prostitution.

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A damning indictment, disgrace, hammering: Disastrous verdict on the draft for the new German gambling treaty – Brussels rejects proposal submitted by the Minister Presidents

By Andreas Schultheis

Brussels/Kiel/Munich, July 2011 – What had to happen, happened: On eleven pages, the European Commission has torn to pieces the proposal for a new inter-state treaty on gambling (GlüStV) submitted by 15 federal states (E 15) – not including Schleswig-Holstein. Brussels criticises the E 15 draft in particular because it provides for seven time-restricted national licences from 2012 onwards, which at best constitutes a conditional opening of the sports betting market. Until today, the reason for the number of seven licences has remained a well-kept secret of the conference of Minister Presidents and their gambling advisors. Furthermore, the draft provides for a non-competitive licensing duty of 16.66 per cent of the stakes, on top of the normal value added tax.
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The season fixture list as a protected copyright – Will liberalisation flush licence fees into the professional leagues’ pockets?

By Yasmin Farhumand, German Lawyer at Hambach & Hambach Law Firm

It is generally known that the sports betting market will be opened at the beginning of 2012. The only issue which is still being discussed is how this is going to take place. In the meantime, the German football league (DFL) does not want to leave its fate in the hands of the 15 states and the draft submitted by them (E 15 draft). If the DFL has its way, the Bundesliga fixtures will, from January 2012 onwards, no longer be available for everybody for commercial utilisation, but only for those who pay a licence fee to the DFL. By doing so, the DFL intends to prevent the sports betting providers from using the Bundesliga fixture list free of charge as a basis for their bets. The DFL is of the opinion that the fixture list is subject to copyright protection. Others hold the same view: The national basketball and handball leagues have now followed suit and are claiming their share of the profits from sports betting.
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