McCreevy on the warpath
29.02.2008Reports from Brussels this week confirm that European Commissioner responsible for compliance Charlie McCreevy has issued a final warning to the Netherlands and Greece regarding their protectionist restrictions on competition in their respective gaming markets. The warnings were widely anticipated (see previous InfoPowa reports) following continued exclusionary practices by state gambling monopolies.
The European Commission is currently investigating 10 EU nations which exclude competition from other EU countries, and continued defiance of the free trade and services principles of the trade bloc could end in an appearance beforee the European Court of Justice.Greek gaming company OPAP is listed on the Athens stock exchange and is an effective monopoly in its home market but competes with other operators in Cyprus, whilst De Lotto and Holland Casino in the Netherlands has been protected by that country's exclusion of online competition.
The ECJ has already ruled that EU states can restrict gaming but only in a proportionate and non-discriminatory way.
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