Greece Rows Back From Opening Up Online Gambling MarketBetfair Withdraws From Market And Industry Groups Up In Arms |
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Greece has reneged on its plan to regulate and licence online gambling in the country in a move which has outraged industry groups and seen Betfair withdraw from the market.
The company said it will, “…withdraw from the Greek market until such time that there is greater clarity on the regulatory situation.
It added that it had been, “…working with the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) to achieve legislation that allows fair competition in the market. It is disappointing, however, that the European Commission has, despite previously stated intentions to the contrary, not taken effective action to prevent protectionist behaviour.”
Earlier this month the Greek Gaming Commission issued a decision which included the provision for financial penalties and criminal sanctions against gaming operators operating without a permit. Betfair said it believes there are significant issues with the legality of the decision.
The RGA and the European Gaming and Betting Association said the state-run gambling operator OPAP had its license extended by 10 years from 2020 to 2030 and that its remit had also been extended to cover online gambling.
In a joint statement the organizations Sigrid Ligné of the EGBA said, “Commissioner Barnier recently confirmed that the he would take his responsibilities seriously in ensuring the compliance of Member States’ gambling legislation with EU law. We trust the Commissioner will urgently investigate our complaint and take action accordingly against Greece as well as on several other pending complaints.”
Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the RGA added, “When the Greek Government said it was going to license and regulate the domestic online gambling market we welcomed this as a positive step. However, instead of encouraging the development of a competitive and well-regulated market, the Greek Government and Gaming Commission are blocking major European private operators from it.
“We therefore look to the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to ensure that Greece follows the correct procedures and that the laws that it is seeking to introduce are fully compliant with EU law.”
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