The European Commission has said it intends to focus on serious violations of European Law, which has essentially left the gambling industry in the cold concerning gambling infringement cases.
Those cases have essentially been dropped, SBC News reports.
The Remote Gambling Association responded by calling the change “highly questionable,” especially as the policy is not based on any legal assessment of the merits of the cases.
“The existence of infringement proceedings and the commission’s subsequent pressure on member states to comply with EU law has helped with the introduction of many effective and sensible regulatory regimes for online gambling across Europe,” said Clive Hawkswood, CEO of the association in a press release. “However, many other cases have been left to languish for several years and many unlawful restrictions to the free provisions of services have yet to be addressed. In those circumstances we are of course dismayed that, with regard to the internal market, the commission has effectively abandoned our sector and given a free pass to non-compliant regimes.
“However, we will continue to work with Member States with the aim of establishing EU-compliant regimes that would benefit European consumers, the online gambling industry, and national Government,” he said.
The European Gaming and Betting Association also released a statement saying the decision is “unhelpful in the fight against unregulated non-EU gambling services.“
