EUROPEAN REGULATION
to continue operating in the Romanian market
were required to obtain an interim licence from the
regulator by 31 December 2015. The secondary
legislation implementing the licensing regime in
February 2016 formally introduced the process by
which B2B suppliers are to obtain a licence (which
must be held by 26 May 2016), and enables interimlicensed operators to update to full operational
licences.
The regulator has stepped up enforcement
attempts by publishing a blacklist of unlicensed
gambling products, whilst a number of large
European operators have challenged the regulator’s
decision on the award of licences. The resignation
of Romania’s prime minister in November has cast
uncertainty over whether the implementation of the
regulations will be delayed.
SLOVAKIA
Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting,
horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo, 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: No developments anticipated.
SLOVENIA
Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting,
horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo, 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 recently notified draft
amendments to the Gambling Act to the European
Commission. The draft seeks to remove the cap
on the number of online gambling licences, and
removes the local establishment requirements,
although maintains the sports betting and lottery
monopolies. The standstill period ends on 30 May
2016.
SPAIN
Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting,
horse race betting, casino, poker, bingo and lottery
Sponsored by
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, online 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
to new operators, the first new licensees since the
market opened in 2012. 25 online slot permits
were also issued to new and existing licensees. This
followed on from the approval of the regulation
of slots and approval of the regulation of betting
exchanges.
SWEDEN
Regulated Gambling Products: Sports betting,
horse race betting, poker, bingo and lottery.
Operator Type: Only public benefit organisations,
the horseracing industry and the state lottery
may obtain a licence. No local licences for private
operators.
Status: The Swedish government is under
pressure to update its regulations. The
commencement of infringement proceedings by
the EC appeared to mobilise the Government but
recent statements have suggested that updated
regulation to permit private operators to obtain
a licence may not emerge in the short-term. A
government-commissioned inquiry recently
proposed amendments to the Lotteries Act
which would remove the differences between the
sanctions imposed on advertising by unlicensed
foreign and unlicensed domestic operators. The
Government has confirmed it is proceeding with an
investigation into reforming the law with a view to
potentially opening the market to private operators
in due course. The review will conclude at the end
of March 2017.
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 [email protected].
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