GamblingCompliance. Market Barriers: A European Online Gambling Study 2009
LONDON, June 30 2009.

GamblingCompliance.com, the London-based regulatory information portal, is delighted to announce the publication of its new landmark report Market Barriers: A European Online Gambling Study 2009.

An entirely new and independently researched 80,000 word survey, the report provides an impartial and comprehensive snapshot of the regulation of Europe’s online gambling sector - a market that the European Commission estimates to be worth US$10.1bn by 2010.

Detailed analysis of all 27 EU member states underlines how the proliferation of national level rules is steadily balkanising Europe’s gambling market and creating new conflicts and regulatory risks for operators:

• Europe’s online gambling map is being redrawn with unprecedented speed.  19 of 27 member states across Europe are currently addressing online gambling through reform, while seven of these have made concrete plans to shift towards local licensing models.
• Financial transaction (FT) and ISP blocking restrictions are gathering momentum. Since the introduction of payment blocking regulations in the United States in 2006, seven EU member states have introduced mechanisms for blocking online gambling, and a further eight jurisdictions are presently considering blocking measures as part of broader reform debates.
• As the nature of European licensing changes, existing land-based casinos and national lottery monopolies are starting to move online while previously excluded private operators are entering markets as B2B service and payment providers.

GamblingCompliance’s report is the first major survey of Europe’s cross-border and domestic online gaming regulations since the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law’s study in 2006.

The survey contains an update specific to online gambling for every member state of the European Union plus Norway, outlining:

•    Restrictions in place on online gambling.
•    Marketing and advertising barriers.
•    State- and EU- level actions concerning prosecutions and other enforcement measures.

A product of GamblingCompliance’s international legal research team, the report cites legislation, much of which is not available in English, and uses over 50 primary sources including exclusive consultation with regulators and legal experts on the ground in each jurisdiction.  

Commenting on the new report, GamblingCompliance’s founder David Morgan said: “The timing of this report could not be better. It comes at a time when the uncertainty created by a lack  of European-level regulation is being filled by national restrictions on online gambling, and private operators and monopolists alike are seeking to navigate a fast-changing regulatory landscape.”

About GamblingCompliance
GamblingCompliance.com helps clients and their advisers reduce exposure to regulatory risk by providing timely information on an advanced web-based platform allowing clients to monitor, track and receive updates on regulation, best practice, sectors, geographies and competitors worldwide. To order a copy of the Report or for more information on GamblingCompliance and their services please go to www.gamblingcompliance.com.

For more information or for interviews, please contact:

Harry Ashton
Head of Legal and Research
GamblingCompliance.com
Tel:      +44 (0) 207 921 9980
Email:    harry@gamblingcompliance.com