Bwin.party’s time hanging out with the Portugeezers is ending after a court ruled it must remove all advertising and sponsorship from sports competitions. According to Eurosport.com, the court ruled Pwin’s activities are “illegal.” The ruling covers tax and regulatory issues and may affect other firms operating in the Portuguese market, such as Betclic and Betfair.
Reacting to the ruling, Portugal’s football league was far from pleased and before professing their intention to appeal, confirmed: “As of Monday, the Portuguese professional football league (LPFP) is obliged to remove all advertising that refers to Bwin.”
The court matchup kicked off back in 2005 when the Portuguese Casino Association joined lottery operator Santa Casa in penning a complaint about bwin having an unfair advantage. It stemmed from the fact the firm isn’t taxed or subject to Portuguese regulations.
“We are happy with this decision, it was a positive one. We pay for extremely expensive licences so we want the state to combat illegal operators who have unfair advantages,” said Artur Mateus, a manager of the Portuguese Casino Association.
Bwin’s agreed to “suspend all sponsorship and advertising” with a spokesperson saying: “The court failed to take into account EU law. One cannot aggressively advertise and expand games on the one hand and keep foreign competition out on the other hand.”
The company’s lawyer, Eduardo Serra Jorge, added: “It is time for the state to legislate and tax online gambling instead of banning it. Regulating it is in the interest of the consumer, the economy and the state budget.”
This latest defeat for Pwin comes after Germany slapped its buttocks last year and if you go by the words of their lawyer shows the reliance that publicly-traded gaming industry firms have on regulated markets in Europe. This is all the while that privately-held gaming firms are reaping the rewards of nimble Asian strategies.
