Casino News: EU Breakthrough in Online Gaming Regulation

Finally, it looks like the European Union and its member countries could be working together concerning the matter of online gambling. In November 2011, the European Parliament established new laws regarding online gaming, and stated that EU member countries should comply with the regulations. In general, this represents good news for both players and online casino operators.

In the past, member states have fiercely protected their own online gaming markets, and were reluctant to allow in foreign companies. However, this monopoly gave an unfair advantage to operators, and players lost out. The new rules look set to open up a fairer marketplace, and now the European Union’s policy-setting bodies are working towards making global changes.

The Remote Gambling Association is in favour of the new laws. This organisation is a collaboration of many of the world's major gambling corporations. The chief executive officer of the group, Clive Hawkswood, pointed out that the new resolution should regulate, and not prohibit online gambling. Also, he stated that the governing bodies of the EU need to ensure compliance of member countries.

The European Commission has guidelines in place to ensure compliance of member states, along with what actions should be taken if a country were to violate them.

One such example of this ‘forced compliance’ was when Italy did not allow a UK operator to run an online casino from within its borders. The European Court moved quickly to rectify the situation, demonstrating the new regulations are serious and enforceable.