iGaming News all over the world 12.09.2010

12.09.2010, International Gambling Law Summit 2010 Sept 22nd 23rd London / Belgium Law Restricts Online Gambling Services / Macau economy to expand 20.6 % this year and 10.1 % in 2011 / Austrian Gambling Laws Do Not Comply ECJ Rules

International Gambling Law Summit 2010 Sept 22nd 23rd London
The most crucial part of a successful business is a proper business plan which usually comes with a legal component. Critical to making an online gambling operation a reality that can promote itself as reliable and trustworthy is making sure the operation is legally compliant. Knowledge of these requirements is what every online gambling executive must have in order to stay ahead of one of the most competitive industries in the world today.

The Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge, London, England will host this year's International Gambling Law Summit 2010. On Wednesday and Thursday the 22nd and 23rd of September the participants will take an in depth look at the legal and regulatory developments in online and land based gambling across Europe

The speakers will predict and analyze the possible scenarios for the immediate future and more. As the gaming industry shows few signs of slowing down and the online gambling continues to be more accepted by the public and governments opportunities become even greater for the entrepreneur who knows the laws. Social media and interactive television plus mobile applications are all subject to changes in legal status which can affect markets severely.

Being aware of current legal trends and possible changes that may open up previously closed markets is an opportunity to maximise expansion and increase the bottom line. The key focus for the conference will be new opportunities and how they can be made profitable successfully, while staying within the legal parameters.

Also on the two day agenda are acquisition, mergers and preparing your organisation for the growth in b2b. A detailed look at liberalising markets, over protectionism and licensing infringement procedures with recent ECJ guidance. Member state reforms and how will they affect the market and of course advertising with an in-depth analysis of recent developments in gambling law. The ever changing situation with sport betting and gaming, integrity and fraud will be discussed.

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Belgium Law Restricts Online Gambling Services
A revamped new law, scheduled to come into effect at the beginning of 2011, restricts online gambling services to certain licensed operators in Belgium. The government says it's justification for the rule is to protect public interests.

According to an article presented by the InterGaming web site, Koen Platteau a lawyer from law firm Olswang, commented, "The Belgian approach towards online gambling is certainly not unique within the E.U.," Platteau continued, "It is important to stress that there will be no monopoly on online gambling in Belgium. However, only a limited number of operators will be entitled to offer the service."

The lawyer pointed out, "They claim that the offline requirement creates barriers to the E.U. internal market." "In particular, they invoke the principles of free movement of services and freedom of establishment. Interestingly, the European Commission voiced similar concerns when it reviewed a draft of the Gambling Act containing the offline requirement. However, the Belgian Parliament adopted the offline requirement regardless of the Commission’s comments."

Belgium's new Gambling Act will certainly come under scrutiny by the European community and the courts. A complaint has been filed with the European Commission by various opponents to Belgium's proposed legislation. Legal precedents have been set by the ECJ regarding the online gambling issue in Europe. One strong example being the ruling on the Portuguese monopoly after the ECJ considered that monopoly justified because of the absence of harmonisation at the EU level and the risks of fraud and crime.

The ECJ has confirmed that under current law in the European Union, member states do not have to recognise gambling licences issued by national authorities. The government of Belgium's position looks locked up and will evoke debate and argument and as yet the European Commission has not revealed their intentions. Online gambling operators are waiting patiently to enter the market in the entire European Union once there is a consistent law that is fair and equal to all players in the field.

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Macau economy to expand 20.6 % this year and 10.1 % in 2011
(Macau).- The Macau economy is expected to see expansion of 20.6 % this year and 10.1 % in 2011, according to the most recent edition of the report on Macau by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), of The Economist group.

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The document, to which Macauhub had access, also expects investment to fall 6.4 % this year, which is still a lower drop than the 35.6 % fall posted in 2009, but expects gross fixed capital formation to rise 8.5 % in 2011. The rate of inflation, which this year is expected to total 2.7 %, will increase marginally to 2.8 % in 2011, according to the document, after totalling 1.1 % in 2009.

The territory’s balance of trade will continue to see increasing deficits, as manufacturing capacity continues to be transferred to mainland China in search of lower costs, but the territory will continue to post large current account surpluses due to its huge surplus on the services account.

The report also said that Macau’s fiscal position remains very strong, with the government continue to post large surpluses, although it warns against increasing dependence of the territory’s tax revenues on the gaming sector, which in the first five months of the year accounted for 89.1 % of the total.

The EIU report also questions the building of the Zhuhai-Macau-Hong Kong bridge basing its argument on recently published documents that question the project's economic feasibility, namely the fact that the Hong Kong government plans to drastically limit the number of left-hand drive vehicles that can enter its territory. Macau will be responsible for 14.7 % of the finance to build the bridge, or around us$ 290 million.

It also mentions that the planned three-lane road model is economically wasteful, as recent report showed that it would require a pay-back period of 48.6 years as compared to just 17.4 years for railway-only bridge and 19.1 years for a dual-lane road and railway bridge.

The report on Macau by the Economist Intelligence Unit also warns of regional competition in the gaming sector forecasting that casinos in other countries in the region, such as Singapore, Cambodia and one planned for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to be opened in 2013, will seek to attract high rollers that currently gamble in Macau.

Yogonet.com / MacauHub

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Austrian Gambling Laws Do Not Comply ECJ Rules
The European Court of Justice has ruled that portions of Austria's gaming laws do not comply with EU competition laws regarding e commerce. In Austria the Federal Minister of Finance is mandated to allow as many as 12 licenses to operate gaming establishments. The holders of the permits must be public limited companies based in Austria.

In the case of Austria all 12 concessions were granted and renewed without public tender to Casino Austria. Casinos Austria International and its partners currently operate 39 land based casinos in 17 countries, 5 shipboard casinos, 15 slot parlours, a range of lottery products in Argentina, and the new online gaming platform CAIGAMES.COM. Together the CAI Group’s gaming entertainment operations are comprised of over 750 gaming tables and 7,600 gaming machines.

The European Court of Justice has ruled that it is an unfair requirement that permit holders be headquartered in Austria, stating the obligation, "constitutes a restriction on freedom of establishment." The court stated that the exclusion of operators from other E.U. member states is "disproportionate" as it goes beyond what is necessary to prevent crime. The ECJ statement continued, "In addition, any undertaking established in a member state can be supervised and have sanctions imposed on it, regardless of the place of residence of its managers," "Moreover, there is nothing to prevent supervision being carried out on the premises of the establishments in order, in particular, to prevent any fraud being committed by the operators against consumers."

European Gaming and Betting Association secretary general, Sigrid Ligne, commented, "Today’s ruling against the Austrian gambling laws confirms clearly that member states cannot require E.U. licensed online operators to be physically present on their territory. In the digital age there are obviously other more efficient means available to monitor the activities of the operators. The European Commission has been given new legal arguments to pursue infringement procedures against several member states that have similar provisions."

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