EUROPEAN REGULATION
CYPRUS
Regulated Gambling Products: Sports
betting, horse race betting and lottery.
Operator Type: OPAP have a monopoly over
lottery operations; sports betting licences are
available to private operators.
Status: Cyprus regulated online betting
in July 2012, although a licensing regime was
not established until 2016. Applications for
online sports betting licences were accepted for
a one-month period only from 3 October to
3 November 2016. Following the closure of the
licensing window, the government announced
they would implement blocking measures with
the publication of a blacklist, and warned local
ISP providers that it would face fines for failures to
block sites offering unlicensed gambling products.
The first sports betting licence was granted in
January 2017.
Status: The Danish online gambling regime
went live on 1 January 2012. ISP-blocking measures
are active in the jurisdiction and the Danish
Gaming Authority has been granted an injunction
in order to block operators and suppliers that
have been targeting Danish customers without
the requisite licence. Following a government
announcement earlier this year, Denmark has
submitted draft legislation to the EC which aims
to open up online bingo and horse race betting
markets to private operators. The standstill period
ends on 2 June 2017.
ESTONIA
CZECH REPUBLIC Regulated Gambling Products: Sports
betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo
and lottery.
Operator Type: Licences for all gambling
products are available for private operators
save that the monopoly has exclusive rights
to lottery.
Status: Operators seeking to accept business
from players in Estonia must be issued an activity
licence for the type of gambling they wish to offer,
then an operating permit to provide the services
remotely. A blacklist of around 1,100 operators is
maintained and updated by local authorities and
ISP and payment blocking is in force.
Regulated Gambling Products: Sports
betting, fantasy sports, horse race betting, poker,
casino, bingo and lottery.
Operator Type: Sports betting, poker and casino
licences are available to private operators. Bingo,
lottery and horse race betting (fixed odds only) are
controlled by the state monopoly. DENMARK Regulated Gambling Products: Sports
betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo
and lottery.
Operator Type: All gambling products are
under the exclusive control of the three monopoly
providers, Raha-automaatiyhdistys (“RAY”),
Fintoto Oy and Veikkaus Oy. The monopolies
merged into one state entity as of 1 January 2017.
Status: An ECJ ruling confirmed that Finland’s
three monopoly providers are legally permitted,
which was subsequently written into law. In
November 2013, the EC also withdrew infringement
proceedings. Active enforcement measures are in
place (restrictive marketing for offshore operators
and ISP blocking).
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Regulated Gambling Products: Sports
betting, horse race betting, poker, casino, bingo
and lottery.
Operator Type: EEU and EEA-based operators
are able to apply for licences.
Status: Amendments to Czech Republic’s
gambling legislation became effective on
1 January 2017, and allow EU/EEA companies to
apply for online licences. A delay in issuing detailed
secondary regulations meant that no applicants
were granted licences ahead of the introduction of
the licensing regime. The first licence was granted
on 28 January 2017. No transitional/grace period for
licence applicants while awaiting full licensure.
FINLAND