Gambling lobby looks to overturn German online betting ban
15th January, 2008
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) said that the ban in place in Germany, preventing all forms of internet gambling except horse racing. The lobby group for European gambling organisations today asked the European Commission to overturn the law, saying the ban violates European Union laws protecting the free movement of goods and services within the bloc.
The commission, the E.U.’s regulatory arm, opened an investigation into the German law in question last spring, aware of the gambling group’s concerns. Oliver Drewes, the commission's spokesman for internal market issues, said the commission will decide soon whether Germany broke E.U. rules. The commission and E.U. courts in recent years have ruled that the bloc's member countries can't restrict gambling businesses that operate freely in other states.
