The European Commission will formally censure Italy, France and Austria this week for restrictive laws on gambling. This is the last in the ongoing confrontation between world governments and the online gambling industry.
Following the recent blow to the industry by the new U.S. law, that practically makes online gambling illegal and also arrests of top executives of online gambling companies in both the U.S. and Europe; this intervention serves as good news, albeit rare.
Many European online gambling operators have voiced their protest about the difficulties they face when they attempt to enter markets that are outside their own state, which is a basic right for businesses in the EU.
While these businesses can no longer operate in the U.S. and are basically banned from it, they do have the EU to be their consolation.
Charlie McCreevy, the European Union internal market commissioner plans to launch three new infringement procedures that allege that Rome, Paris and Vienna are in violation of EU rules. Following this, the three governments will be issued a formal letter of notice that warns them that the gambling laws which they apply may violate EU rules. This action can eventually lead to a case against the violating countries at the European Court of Justice.
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