iGB Affiliate 55 Feb/Mar | Page 92

Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, horse race betting and lottery. Operator Type: All products are exclusively reserved for the monopoly providers although 24 transitional licences for private operators remain active, with all products permitted. Status: The licensing regime in Greece (like Germany) is also in a state of flux. The Greek government granted 24 transitional licences to operators in December 2012 enabling them to keep transacting with Greek residents. However, in March 2013, the government notified draft legislation to the EC which effectively rescinds the licences; a position criticised by the EC. Greece’s new government is currently considering plans to more tightly regulate online gambling, to end the on-going transition position. The fate of the 24 l icences is still unclear. HUNGARY Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo and lottery. Operator Type: Only the state monopoly, Szerencsejáték Zrt. and local concession companies can apply for a licence. Status: Amendments to Hungarian gambling law came into force on 1 October 2015 which allow only two land-based casinos to hold remote casino concessions. State monopoly operator Szerencsejáték Zrt alone may offer sports betting and only the state monopoly provider Magyar LóversenyfogadástSzervezőKft can offer online horse race betting under the new law. The regulator has since issued fines against unlicensed operators who continue to target the market. ISP blocking of unlicensed sites has occurred since June 2014. IRELAND Regulated Gambling Products: Online gaming is not specifically accounted for in Ireland’s outdated legislation and as such is currently unregulated. Online betting regulated since August 2015. Status: Ireland is in the process of updating its legislation which will create 86 iGB Affiliate Issue 55 FEB/MAR 2016 a comprehensive online gambling regime and payment restrictions. The Betting (Amendment) Act 2015 now requires remote bookmakers to hold a licence, and pay a 1% turnover-based betting duty. NETHERLANDS Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo and lottery. Operator Type: All products available to private operators save for lottery which is reserved for the monopoly provider. However, it is currently not possible to obtain a licence in Italy. Status: Fully regulated market. Previous restrictions on the type of events/ markets on which bookmakers can offer odds is possibly to be abolished. A recently passed Stability Law introduces various measures affecting the remote gambling industry, including tax changes and plans for tighter advertising rules. The law will provide for the award of 120 new online gaming licences (lasting for 6 years), the tender for which will begin on 31 July 2016. The government also moved to a GGR-based tax for online betting operators (22%), with effect from 1 January. Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo, lottery. Operator Type: Monopoly for all products. Status: The Remote Gambling Act was published in May 2013, which stipulates the conditions which operators will be able to offer online gambling in the Netherlands. The Remote Gambling Act has now received approval from the Council of Ministers and the Secretary of State, paving the way for its implementation. Due to political issues, licences are now unlikely to be awarded until 2017. The government’s recent announcement to set online gambling duty at 29% (in line with the offline tax rate) has faced industry criticism. In the interim, the regulator has started to implement enforcement measures, and signed cooperation agreements in October 2014 with Dutch banks and payment processors over blocking illegal gambling websites. In November 2015, the regulator levied its highest ever fine on two gambling operators for continuing to target Dutch players. LUXEMBOURG NORWAY Regulated Gambling Products: Lottery Operator Type: Monopoly. Status: The general prohibition on gambling appears sufficiently wide to cover all forms of online gambling. Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, horse race betting and lottery Operator Type: Online gambling is reserved for its two monopoly providers: Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. Status: The monopoly has extended its offering to include live betting, e-bingo and casino games in an attempt to redirect traffic from unlicensed sites. However, the new government is understood to be considering a limited licensing regime for foreign operators. ITALY MALTA Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo, lottery. Operator Type: Private operators can apply for a local licence but not in relation to lottery products. Status: On 3 June, Maltese regulator the Malta Gaming Authority introduced a number of policy changes. These include changes regarding hosting servers abroad, audit requirements and the cloud environment. Malta plans to introduce gambling legislation during 2016 to modernise online gambling rules. POLAND Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting and horse race betting. Operator Type: From 3 September, licences are now available for companies with a representative in Poland as opposed to a local establishment. Status: Legislation enacted 1 January