EU GAMBLING LAWS

Gambling has come a long way, owing to developments such as online betting sites, which have further propelled its growth. As a result of its popularity, it has become increasingly important for countries to step in to protect their citizens through the introduction of regulations. While these laws have worked, for the most part, they also come with many challenges. For one, different games abide by a different set of rules and over time, these regulations become confusing to gamers.

You will also find that laws depend on jurisdictions such that there are city laws, state laws, and country laws, and thus the regulatory environment is quite crowded. The rules are not constant and what may have applied yesterday will probably get tweaked today such that you cannot go by what you knew in the past, and this makes gaming quite challenging. There is also the issue of online gaming and the rules that apply to it. While some sites restrict access to given regions where gaming laws are not stringent, others allow people to get in on the action as they please and this has also led to confusion. The aspect of gaming laws boils down to the ethics behind gaming.

Some people look at it as a way to pass the time and enjoy the company of friends, and there are those who are of the belief that it is a moral challenge to society. As such, there is a need for regulations to ensure that gaming does not create an avenue for vices such as money laundering or underage gambling. The rules in place also make sure that gaming is as per the moral codes of society.

Online gaming in Europe

European online gamers account for 47.6% of the world�s total revenue regarding online gaming, and it thus points to a large share of the market. One would think that there would be a law concerning online gaming in light of this information, but this is not the case. Instead, all member states come up with regulations that they deem to be fitting to the situation.

However, the countries do have one thing in common in that you cannot engage in gambling without going through verification. In addition to this, all gaming operators have to ensure that they look into risks regarding money laundering as well as the use of gaming money in the committing of crimes.

Where a situation involves a high-risk individual, operators must ensure that they follow due diligence to ensure that no illegal activities take place. It is highly unlikely that one would get away with laundering money as all transactions in online gaming undergo tracking as well as other procedures to minimize the risk of such occurrences.

There are three kinds of licenses in play at the moment:

Open

To get this license, an operator must prove that they have met some licensing criteria in place. An example of a country with such licensing is Malta.

Restricted

In this type, an operator is free to set up a gaming company. However, the license options are limited. Greece and Belgium are some of the nations where such permits apply.

State monopoly

In this situation, licenses are only available to one government-owned entity. In this way, the government exercises control over gaming activities. You can find this licensing in Norway and Sweden, amongst other nations.

Let�s have a peek at some of the regulations in place in two countries.

The UK

In the UK, players undergo two-step verification before they can participate in gaming. Operators must ensure that the players have passed the said tests before allowing entry, failure to which the licenses in place can get revoked. As such, operators take these processes seriously. An open licensing model is in play in this region.

Germany

Where the systems in place in the UK are laid out, the same does not hold for Germany. There are state level regulations in place as well as an inter-state treaty on gaming. However, not all states agree to the directions of the agreement. In addition to this, there are some stipulations in the deal which conflict with those recommended by the EU. And that�s not all. New state governments are free to amend the laws as they wish, thus resulting in a confusing legal environment for gamers.

It is clear that the EU has a long way to go regarding gaming and gamers can only wait and see whether the EU council will address the situation and what will come of their discussion.