Online gaming: council insists single market principle must be respected

The Malta Remote Gaming Council (MRGC) has insisted that online gaming licences issued by EU member states are not illegal in other EU countries and, therefore, no EU member can stop cross border gaming services based in another EU jurisdiction.

The council said this principle had been reaffirmed in the European Court's BWIN/LIGA vs. Santa Casa ruling.

"Yet rulings such as this are being repeatedly ignored by these same jurisdictions, which are continuing to refer to legal licences issued in other Member States as being illegal. These accusations are frivolous and unfounded, moreover, most of the Member States that are making these claims have infringement procedures against them and therefore are themselves not conforming to EU laws or treaties," the council said.

It explained that Maltese licence holders are subject to strict anti-money laundering procedures before being granted a licence. They are required to comply with a number of measures including responsible gaming and player protection measures superior to those implemented by most monopolies, stringent Know your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) procedures, and an advertising code of conduct. They are also subject to rigorous monitoring and controls by the regulator.

"The EU was set up as an economic zone for the benefit of all its members. MRGC believes that if barriers start going up and protectionism sets in, the EU will have failed to achieve its objectives," the council said.

It also asked who would be held responsible for any potential losses incurred due to these unfounded accusations.