Greece to ignore EC opinion
Last month the European Commission (“EC”) issued a detailed opinion on Greece’s proposed online gambling laws, to the effect that they weren’t consistent with EU law.
What the EC were hoping for was a re-draft of the law to be issued… one that addressed the numerous concerns they raised with regard to draft number one.
Doesn’t look like this is going to be the case.
It’s being reported that senior Papandreou government ministers have been recalled for the current sitting of Parliament, which concludes Thursday 5 August, in order to debate the draft as it currently stands. There is speculation that it could be attached to a must-pass finance bill in order to fast-track its passage…ala UIGEA and the Port Security Act in Washington back in 2006.
Conceivably, the draft could be passed into law before the end of EC’s ‘standstill’ period…August 8, which would only rub further salt into an EC wound already created by the total disregard of their opinion. How could the EC not commence infringement proceedings if this were the case?
I guess the threat of an EC infringement proceeding for non EU-compliant online gambling law would struggle to make it onto Greece’s top 100 list of pressing concerns just at the moment.
Being on the verge of sovereign bankruptcy, only last month having received it’s second €100+ billion bailout loan from the IMF and facing daily riots on the streets of Athens against introduced austerity measures, you can understand why the Greek government is taking a bit of a ‘desperate times, desperate measures‘ approach to this law. Particularly when the end game they’re looking at is a projected €700 million annually in gambling tax revenue.
Related pages:
Greek Gambling Law Facing European Commission Opposition
Greek online gambling: who will regulate the regulator
A liberalized Greek online gambling market
Live casinos for Greek players
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the new online gambling law was passed by the Greek Parliament Thursday 4 August.
It was passed as part of an omnibus bill that will bring in a raft of reforms from gambling to public sector bonuses and tourism developments.
WSJ notes…
“Greece may also face legal challenges from the European Commission over the gambling reforms, which appear to contravene EU law”
Indeed.
Full article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903366504576487743782591856.html?
Surprise, surprise…
The European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA) & the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) today confirmed that they’d together filed a suit against Greece’s new online gambling laws with the EC.
EGBA’s Sigrid Ligné…
“Allowing Greece to proceed with this legislation unchallenged would represent an abject failure of those responsibilities. We trust the Commissioner will urgently investigate our compliant against Greece & take action accordingly against Greece as well as on several other pending complaints.”
RGA’s Clive Hawkswood…
“Where a regime is contrary to the provision of the Treaties, challenges are unfortunately necessary & unavoidable. We therefore look to the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to enforce those provisions in relation to gambling, as the European Parliament has recently requested.”