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REGULATION
OPERATOR TYPE : Private operators can obtain online licences to provide sports betting , horse race betting and poker . The monopoly has exclusive rights to bingo and lottery . STATUS : France has been a regulated market since the introduction of a licensing regime in 2010 , following which the EC withdrew its infringement proceedings . In March 2022 , Autorité Nationale des Jeux ( ANJ ), the French gambling regulator , was granted administrative powers to block illegal gambling websites .
GERMANY
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , virtual slots , online poker and table games . OPERATOR TYPE : Private operators may apply for licences to operate horse race betting , sports betting , virtual slots and online poker at federal level . Online table games ( such as roulette , blackjack and live dealer casino ) are reserved for land-based casinos , most of which are state operated ( although certain states , such as Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia , have passed laws to open a licensing system to private operators to offer online table games in their states ). STATUS : The primary legislation on gambling in Germany is the 4th Interstate Treaty on Gambling , which entered into effect on 1 July 2021 . A number of licences have now been granted to operators under the licensing regimes introduced by the 4th Interstate Treaty on Gambling ( as set out in the ‘ Whitelist ’ of operators maintained on the website of the regulator – the Joint Gambling Authority of the States , or GGL ). The GGL assumed full responsibility as the gambling regulator on 1 January 2023 .
GREAT BRITAIN
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : All licences are available to private operators save for lottery , which is reserved exclusively for the monopoly provider , Camelot . STATUS : Any operator that transacts with , or advertises to , British residents requires a licence from the Gambling Commission ( GC ). Licensed operators are required to source gambling software from GC-licensed businesses . In December 2020 , the government launched a “ major and wide-ranging ” review into the current gambling legislation in Great Britain . The government ’ s proposals for reform were published in a white paper in April 2023 . Proposals include , for example , the introduction of : ( i ) prescriptive rules on when online operators must check customers ’ financial circumstances ; ( ii ) stake limits for online slots ; ( iii ) further rules on online products to ensure they are ‘ safe by design ’; ( iv ) improvements to ‘ player-centric ’ tools ; and ( v ) a new ombudsman to deal with social responsibility complaints . Since July 2023 , a series of consultation papers have been published in relation to , for example : ( i ) maximum stake limits for online slots ; ( ii ) remote game design ; ( iii ) financial vulnerability and financial risk checks ; ( iv ) the introduction of a statutory levy . These consultations have now closed . Other recent consultations that have since closed include those on ( i ) improvements to player protection tools ; ( ii ) social responsibility around player incentives ; and ( iii ) financial penalties and financial key event reporting .
On 1 May 2024 , the Gambling Commission published its response to the consultation which addressed some of the
Government ’ s key white paper proposals . The response addresses , among other things , direct marketing , age verification , remote game design and financial risk checks as well as with respect to PML requirements . The Commission also outlined the implementation timeline for these changes with most of the changes set to come into effect between August 2024 and January 2025 .
Following a white paper consultation led by DCMS , in February 2024 it was announced that maximum stake limits for online slots (£ 5 per spin for those aged 25 and over and £ 2 per spin for those aged 18 to 24 ) will be introduced later this year .
GREECE
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : Under the permanent licensing regime , two ‘ Types ’ of licences are available to private operators : ( i ) Type 1 for online betting ; and ( ii ) Type 2 for other online games ( which includes poker and casino games ). However , certain entities which were previously state-owned have the exclusive right to offer bingo , lottery and pari-mutual betting or fixed-odds betting on horse racing . STATUS : In 2012 , a ‘ transition period ’ commenced , whereby the Greek government granted 24 transitional licences to operators , enabling them to provide services to Greek residents . Legislation , which introduced an open licensing regime for online betting and “ other online games ”, including casino and poker , entered into force in 2019 . However , the regulations implementing the new legal regime were not published until August 2020 and it wasn ’ t until July 2021 that the permanent licensed market launched .
88 • ISSUE 136 • iGB L ! VE 2024