WEBMASTER WORLD
POLAND
Regulated Gambling Products : Sports betting , horse race betting , casino and poker . Operator Type : Betting licences are available for companies with a representative in Poland . Casino and poker are reserved for a state monopoly . Status : Legislation enacted 1 January , 2012 permits betting . To date , only a handful of local land-based operators have obtained a betting licence ( including Fortuna , Millenium , STS , E-Toto and Totolotek ). Following the approval of various amendments to the Gambling Act in 2016 , online gaming ( including poker ) is no longer prohibited as of 1 April 2017 , although the exclusive rights to offer such products are reserved to a state monopoly . Provisions that provide for the establishment of a blacklist of unlicensed operators and ISP and payment blocking entered into force on 1 July , 2017 . The blacklist now contains over a thousand domain names . Totalizator Sportowy , the state-owned monopoly provider for online gaming , has published a call for tender for delivery of its online casino .
PORTUGAL
Regulated Gambling Products : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . Operator Type : Any EU / EEA operator can apply to be granted a licence for online gambling . Lottery games and land-based fixed odds sports betting remain reserved for a monopoly . Status : A regulated market since 2015 . Although operators can now apply for licences , their Portuguese revenue streams will be subject to comparatively high tax rates , particularly sports betting , which is subject to an 8-16 % tax on turnover . In 2015 , the RGA filed a state aid case with the EC challenging the Portuguese betting tax as breaking EU trade rules . Delayed technical standards were introduced in December 2016 , paving the way for operators to certify their online systems to obtain a licence .
ROMANIA
Regulated Gambling Products : Sports betting , horse race betting , casino , bingo and lottery .
Operator Type : Any operator from an EU / EEA jurisdiction or the Swiss Confederation can apply for a licence . Lottery games remain reserved for the monopoly . Status : The Romanian government passed legislation at the end of 2014 that allows entities within the EU to apply for a licence , imposes a reform on licence fees and eliminates many ( but not all ) of the tax burdens placed on player revenues . The Gambling Law ( as amended ) introduced a legal framework for a fully regulated online gambling market , and requires licences to be held by online gambling operators , as well as software providers , payment processors , affiliates and testing labs . After some delay , the secondary legislation that fully implemented the new licensing regime came into force on 26 February , 2016 . The National Office for Gambling in Romania published a blacklist of unlicensed gambling operators in July 2015 .
SLOVAKIA
Regulated Gambling Products : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . Operator Type : All products are operated by the monopoly save that land-based sports betting operators can offer services online due to a legal loophole . Status : The Finance Ministry published an information notice indicating that the Government will make proposals to reform the regulation of online gambling , with a public consultation expected in January 2018 . Whether any amendments will introduce a formal licensing system remains unclear .
SLOVENIA
Regulated Gambling Products : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . Operator Type : Online gambling must be operated by land-based casinos or lotteries and , as a result , only the monopoly holds online licences in Slovenia . Status : The Finance Ministry notified secondary regulations for the operation of online gambling services to the EC on 17 August , 2016 . The proposals would remove the cap on the number of licences and the requirement for a local establishment , although sports betting would remain as a monopoly .
SPAIN
Regulated Gambling Products : Sports betting , horse race betting , casino , poker , bingo and lottery . Operator Type : Private operators can apply for licences for all gambling products save for lottery . Status : The first online licences were issued on 1 June , 2012 . Under the law , operators must hold a general licence and a specific licence for each activity from the National Gambling Commission . In June 2015 , 10 new licences were awarded , the first since the market opened in 2012 . In addition , 25 online slot permits were issued to new and existing operators . This followed the approval of the regulation of slots and betting exchanges . The Spanish regulatory body has formally announced it will soon launch its third official call for tender , following which applications for online licences will be accepted from operators for a period of one year .
SWEDEN
Regulated Gambling Products : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , bingo and lottery . Operator Type : Only public benefit organisations , the horse racing industry and the state lottery may obtain a licence . No licences are available for private operators . Status : On 20 November , 2017 , the Swedish gambling regulator published draft regulations for consultation in preparation for an online gambling licensing regime , which is expected to launch in January 2019 .
Wiggin is a law firm dedicated to supporting the media , entertainment and gaming sectors . Its market-leading Betting and Gaming group provides specialist legal services to an array of gambling industry stakeholders . We advise many of the world ’ s leading gambling operators and suppliers and also enjoy helping entrepreneurial , interactive start-up businesses . If you ’ d like to hear more , contact us at gambling @ wiggin . co . uk
iGB Affiliate Issue 66 DEC 2017 / JAN 2018
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