EU should regulate gambling markets, says MEP

British MEP Malcolm Harbour has backed a new campaign aimed at opening up the EU’s market in gambling.

Following the launch on Thursday of a new website to challenge state-controlled operating restrictions in the sector, Harbour called for the European commission to take action to establish a “proper regulatory regime” to ensure open and equal access to the EU’s gambling markets.

“It is in the public interest that we have well-regulated online gambling services rather than uncontrolled services which come into Europe from other countries outside the EU.”

Harbour argued that regulation was needed because a number of EU governments restrict access to their betting markets on the grounds that they do not want to encourage gambling.

However, he added, “Those same member states are promoting participation in their own national lotteries. Clearly that is inconsistent.”

The issue of jurisdiction in regulating gambling across the EU has become a contentious one. The European commission currently has no competence over gambling, which lies with individual member states.

However, with the growth of online gambling services across Europe’s borders, there have been numerous calls for Brussels to tackle the issue under the EU’s internal market remit.

Harbour’s comments were echoed by Adrian Morris of leading sports betting operator Stanleybet International. Morris, the director of the new campaign, said that EU member states “continue to act in an unfair, disproportionate and politically motivated way and to deny their citizens access to competitive betting services”.

Morris launched the new campaign, fairplayforsportsbetting.com, with an open letter to commission president José Manuel Barroso, calling on the commission chief to “prevent member states further delaying, through political manoeuvring, the opening of their sports betting markets and to enforce compliance with the principle of EU law”.

The launch coincides with the fifth anniversary of the landmark Gambelli ruling in the European court of justice, which enshrined the rights of EU gaming and betting operators in one member state to offer services across the EU’s borders.

However, despite the judgement, many EU governments continue to restrict access to their national markets, forcing the European commission to initiate 10 infringement procedure cases in recent years.

Morris wrote in his letter, “Five years to the day since that judgement was delivered, many member states still impose unlawful restrictions in this market.

“I am urging you to do everything in your power to end these restrictions and thereby to bring about well-regulated and competitive sports betting markets across the EU.”

Harbour added that it was “sensible to develop a common European regulatory regime” and called on the commission to press member states to modify their national laws.

“A proper regulatory regime rather than a patchwork of national laws is good for consumers, Europe’s economies and in this case good for sports.”

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