Europe is the biggest online casino and gambling market in the world. Online gambling enjoys a popularity there that is unmatched. Part of the reason online gambling is so popular in Europe is that, for a large part, it is legal. Europe is home to many of the online casino and gambling industry’s best licensing jurisdictions. It is also home of most of the online casino companies, and software providers. However, all of this does not mean that every country in Europe has a booming online gambling industry. There are many countries who have a ban on online gambling. There are many countries that do not allow foreign online casino operators into their country. There are many nations who support a state run monopoly over online gambling. This has caused much distress in the European Union. The Union was formed to promote free trade and peace. There are many that feel that e-commerce, specifically online gambling, falls under these protections. The different interpretations of these laws have lead to some legal battles and hard feelings between governments and online gambling rights groups like the Remote Gambling Association.
The Remote Gambling Association came out in support this month of a Green Paper that discusses the state of online casinos and gambling within the European Union. The Green Paper is an attempt to collect data, thoughts, and opinions on the online gambling industry. The Remote Gambling Association and the European Union wants to know about issues that are and need to be raised when it comes to the growth and expansion of online casinos and gambling.
The release of the Green Paper has given a pause to some of the investigations being undertaken by the European Commission as they study draft laws that deal with the expansion or exclusion of online casinos and gambling in Europe. There are several European Union member states that the European Commission feels it non in accordance with European Union law.
The Remote Gambling Association hopes that the information collected from the Green Paper will allow the European Commission to formulate an objective assessment of the online gambling in Europe. CUrrently, the laws allow for a lot of opinion and exceptions. The Remote Gambling Association believes that it is time to tackle these issues. They want to find out how and where there members can operate. They want the laws to be fair across the boards while still allowing for each nation to sovereign rule.
