Greek Gambling Monopoly Breaks EU LawEuropean Court Of Justice Rules OPAP Monopoly Illegal |
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The Greek gambing monopoly enjoyed by OPAP is unjustified according to a ruling yesterday by the European Court of Justice.
The legislation backing the monopoly, “does not genuinely meet the concern to reduce opportunities for gambling and to limit activities,” according to the court.
The ruling noted that, “The fact that OPAP is a listed public limited company and the finding that the Greek State’s supervision of OPAP is merely superficial, tend to suggest that the requirements […] might not be satisfied”.
The Greek government owns just 34 percent of OPAP which is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange.
Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General of European Gaming and Betting Association, said, ”We welcome the CJEU ruling that confirms that Member States must adhere to the requirements of EU law. Given the factual setup of OPAP’s monopoly which clearly fails to meet the CJEU test we hardly expect effective control to be implemented in the future.
“Therefore, Greece should follow the Court’s clear advice to liberalise the market. The ruling is highly relevant and gives the EC yet more jurisprudence to put an end to non-compliant gambling policies across the EU.
“The ruling provides the EC with new impetus in pursuing Member States that violate EU law. At this stage only the EC, as the Guardian of the Treaties, can restore legal security by acting directly on the many complaints it has received, not only against Greece, but also against many other Member States.
“The EC can now take firm action on all pending infringement cases in order to ensure all Member States are in full compliance.”
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