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REGULATION
EUROPEAN REGULATION
In conjunction with Chris Elliott and Rawa Kaftan of Wiggin LLP , iGB Affiliate provides a regulatory snapshot of igaming across Europe . Great Britain , Ireland , Italy and Romania are among those updated for this edition
AUSTRIA REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : Licences for sports betting and horse race betting are available for private operators on a regional basis , whereas online poker , casino , bingo and lottery are controlled by the Austrian Lottery Corporation , which has exclusive rights until 2027 . ( Casinos Austria holds each of the 12 land-based casino licences in Austria .) STATUS : The CJEU has held that the Austrian casino monopoly is incompatible with EU law in a number of cases , although national courts continue to reach conflicting decisions on the compatibility of Austria ’ s current gambling legislative framework with EU law and the position remains unclear . In June 2021 , the Austrian Supreme Court held in favour of a player who brought a claim against an operator licensed elsewhere in the EU for a refund of losses on the basis that their contract with the operator was invalid . In February 2021 , the Finance Minister of Austria announced a wideranging set of proposals to reform gambling in Austria . A draft law formally setting out the proposed reforms had initially been
expected to be published during 2021 but this did not happen . In June 2023 , the Minister of Finance stated that substantial preparatory work was still required and therefore it is considered unlikely that the draft law will be published in the short-term .
BELGIUM REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : All products are available to private operators except for lotteries , which are reserved for the monopoly provider . Online operators need to partner with a land-based licence holder in order to satisfy a local establishment requirement – or apply for a retail licence that can be extended to cover online . STATUS : There remain valid arguments that the existing regime is incompatible with Belgium ’ s EU Treaty obligations . Active enforcement measures against operators and players are in place . A mandatory , weekly deposit limit of € 200 for all customers of licensed operators is in effect . On 1 July 2023 , a Royal Decree entered into force which introduced restrictions on the advertising of gambling in Belgium .
BULGARIA REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery ( excluding raffles and instant lottery games ). OPERATOR TYPE : All products are available to private operators except for lotteries , which are reserved for the monopoly . STATUS : Any operator from an EU / EEA jurisdiction or the Swiss Confederation can apply for a licence . The Bulgarian regulator has awarded approximately 30 licences to date , including to a number of international operators . In March 2023 , the Ministry of Finance published proposals to amend the Bulgarian Gambling Act to introduce : ( i ) stricter restrictions on gambling advertising ; and ( ii ) measures to allow players to set time and financial limitations when gambling .
CROATIA REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : All products are available to private operators except for lotteries , which are reserved exclusively for the monopoly provider . Private operators can only be licensed to offer online
iGB AFFILIATE LONDON 2024 • ISSUE 94 • 109