One European country that is trying to regulate their country’s online gambling market has been dealt a blow in the shape one of the continent’s biggest legislator.
The European Commission (EC) today issued a detailed opinion against Romanian gambling reform for the second time since they looked at changing regulations last year.
The latest news confirms that the EC has “serious concerns” about the legislation and how compatible it will be with European Union (EU) law.
Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General of European Gaming and Betting Association, commented, “The European Commission has now confirmed its assessment according to which the Romanian law is in breach of EU law.
“This should bring the Romanian authorities to urgently and substantially redraft their legislation in accordance with EU rules. Romania is otherwise running the risk to face the launch of an infringement proceeding by the European Commission.”
EGBA also released a number of provisions that are still unlikely to be adhered to under the new rules. The two primary ones are:
• The requirement for EU licensed online gaming companies to be established in Romania
• Allowing operators to apply for an online gaming license only if they are directly or indirectly involved (shareholder or partner) in a Romanian land-based gaming operation.
This adds to the comments made late last year by Malta and the UK on the proposals and seems to suggest that Romania is still no nearer to seeing online gaming law granted.
