HUNGARY
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : The state-owned operator has the exclusive right to offer lottery products , while concessions to operate online casino may only be granted to operators that already hold a Hungarian land-based concession . EEA-based gambling operators may apply for an online betting licence . STATUS : Amendments to Hungarian gambling law came into force on 1 October 2015 and allow only two landbased casinos to hold remote casino concessions . The regulator has since issued fines , a number of which have been challenged , against unlicensed operators that continue to target the market . In June 2017 , the ECJ determined Hungary ’ s gambling regime to be incompatible with Article 56 TFEU . A subsequent ECJ decision in February 2018 ruled against the Hungarian requirement that online gambling operators must have a landbased licence to offer online gambling services to Hungarian citizens , further strengthening arguments that the regime is incompatible with EU law . However , on 1 January 2023 , further amendments to Hungary ’ s gambling legislation entered into force so as to introduce a licensing regime that allows eligible EEA-based gambling operators to apply for an online betting licence ( though it is understood that applicants are required to establish a local branch in Hungary ). On 1 July 2023 , payment blocking provisions introduced by the amendments entered into force .
IRELAND
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Online betting regulated since August
2015 . Online gaming is not accounted for in Ireland ’ s outdated legislation and as such is currently unregulated . OPERATOR TYPE : Private operators can apply for a betting licence . STATUS : Ireland has contemplated updating its legislation , which will create a comprehensive igaming regime , for some time . Interim reform measures intended to modernise the regulation of gambling in Ireland entered into effect on 1 December 2020 . Draft legislation published in April 2021 ( by an opposition party ) which , if passed , would restrict most forms of gambling advertising , progressed to committee stage in March 2022 . In October 2021 , the General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill was published which covers , among other things , the planned introduction of a B2C and B2B licensing regime and the establishment of the Gambling Authority of Ireland . The ‘ Gambling Regulation Bill ’ was published on 2 December 2022 and on 14 May 2024 completed its second stage in the Seanad Éireann .
ITALY
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : Fully regulated market , although lotteries are the subject of a state monopoly . STATUS : Remote gambling licences are granted within specific application windows . The last tender process for applications closed on 19 March 2018 and licences granted following that tender process were set to expire in December 2022 before the licence term was extended to 31 December 2024 . On 3 April 2024 , the ‘ Reorganisation Decree ’ was published in the Official Gazette , which sets out the framework for the grant of new licences before 31 December
2024 ( which carry a € 7m fee and last for a period of nine years ). AGCOM , the Italian communications regulator , has issued sanctions against operators and media companies for violation of the gambling advertising ban ( introduced in 2018 ). Measures to combat unlicensed gambling , including payment blocking measures , entered into effect in October 2019 .
LUXEMBOURG
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : Monopoly . STATUS : The general prohibition on gambling appears sufficiently wide to cover all forms of online gambling .
MALTA
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery . OPERATOR TYPE : Private operators can apply for a local licence ( except for lottery ). STATUS : In 2018 , Malta approved a new Gaming Act that replaced all existing gaming legislation with a single piece of legislation , supplemented by secondary legislation . The Gaming Act , with directives and regulations , became effective on 1 August 2018 . In June 2023 , Malta approved amendments to the Gaming Act , which sets out that Malta will refuse to recognise and / or enforce foreign judgments against operators licensed in Malta that comply with their Maltese obligations .
NETHERLANDS
REGULATED GAMBLING PRODUCTS : Sports betting , horse race betting , poker , casino , bingo and lottery .
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