A new study highlighting the pace of change in online gambling regulations across Europe has found that attempts at ring-fencing markets are having mixed results.
More than a year after the launch of the European Commission’s Green Paper consultation and with a communication on online gambling expected in a matter of weeks, new research has revealed the increasingly complex regulatory environment with which online gambling operators, regulators and governments need to come to terms.
Gambling Compliance’s new report Market Barriers: A European Online Gambling Study 2012 finds that during 2012 alone, 15 European countries have made changes to their online gambling frameworks and at least eight more are reviewing how to regulate their online gambling markets. The report concludes that while there is a strong trend towards point-of-consumption regulations, valuable lessons are emerging into the success of countries’ attempts at ring-fencing their markets through combinations of payment processing, website blocking and advertising bans.
Pauline de Zeeuw, legal and research manager, Europe, said: “We have found in compiling this report that Europe’s online gambling map continues to be redrawn; there are a raft of emerging jurisdictions regulating this space and all do it in their own particular way, with varying levels of success. On issues such as taxation, product offerings and combating black market competition there are lessons to be drawn from the experience of regulated markets.
“Issues currently being discussed, such as regulatory co-operation, shared liquidity, integrity in sports and sporting rights, show just how far debates have moved in recent years.”
Laurie Korpi, legal and research director, international, added: “Our research finds that regulators and lawmakers are studying closely issues such as player protection, fraud prevention and the level of regulatory oversight required and it will be interesting to see what the forthcoming European Commission communication has to say on these issues.”
