Consistency, simplification and certainty – too much to ask?

Europe’s governments should beware squeezing the gaming machine industry too hard, says Euromat secretary general Kieran O’Keeffe.

AT the end of October members of Euromat’s executive committee gathered in Brussels, Belgium, a chance for representatives from Europe’s major gaming machine markets to compare notes on regulatory trends. What was clear to me from this discussion is that the gaming machine – an already highly regulated and highly taxed product – is being squeezed further between ever tighter restrictions and higher taxes.

For example, take a substantial European market like Germany where bans on multi-licensing, reduced opening hours and restrictions on location are squeezing the industry. The outcome for player protection is unlikely to be positive with illegal locations and internet gaming the beneficiaries, rather than players who would otherwise be exposed to a legal and highly monitored gaming experience.

Read the full article in the December issue of InterGame