Connect with us
Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2024

EEG iGaming Directory

CJEU: AG OPINION CONFIRMS THE OBLIGATION FOR MEMBER STATES TO ORGANISE A TRANSPARENT LICENSING PROCESS AND CHALLENGES NATIONAL ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

Published

on

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the opinion of Advocate General (AG) Szpunar in the case involving Unibet International Limited (C-49/16) before the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). The opinion confirms the obligation for Member States to organise a transparent licensing process, finding the closed Hungarian licensing regime to be in violation of the EU Treaty, and tackles the associated enforcement actions against EU licensed operators who were illegitimately excluded from the process.

The Budapest-Capital Administrative and Labour Court asked the CJEU whether Hungary violated the freedom to provide services (Article 56 TFEU) for imposing administrative fines against an EU licensed and regulated operator, whilst it failed to publish a call for tenders and did not enable the operator to submit an application for the purposes of obtaining a Hungarian license.

In support of existing CJEU jurisprudence [1], AG Szpunar found that Hungary imposed an unjustified restriction to a cross-border operator licensed in the EU to lawfully provide services in Hungary due to the absence of calls for a licensing tender published according to objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate criteria. Hungary thereby violated the freedom to provide services guaranteed under the Art 56 TFEU.

On the back of the February 2016 Sebat Ince ruling (C-336/14), AG Szpunar confirmed the finding that a Member State is precluded from sanctioning an operator holding a licence in another Member State where the licensing process infringes the transparency obligation and where the national regime is in violation of EU law. This confirmation is more than ever relevant with a number of Member States introducing very restrictive regulatory frameworks which clearly contradict the fundamental principles of EU law.

In addition, AG Szpunar stated (see link):

  • “The Hungarian authorities have not invoked any grounds of justification [for the discriminatory restrictions], let alone furnished any evidence as to their possible proportionality” (para. 41).

 

  • “Public authorities concluding concession contracts are obliged to comply with the fundamental Treaty rules, including the principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination on grounds of nationality and with the consequent obligation of transparency. [The latter] is designed essentially to ensure that any interested operator may take the decision to tender for contracts on the basis of all relevant information and to ensure the elimination of any risk of favouritism or arbitrariness on the part of the licensing authority (para. 50).

 

  • “The legal situation is somewhat unclear due to a changing regulatory framework(…). There is, in other words, a serious issue of transparency in a number of respects” (para 53). “(…) It must also be stressed that whether or not there was a pending procedure within the context of Directive 98/34/EC [2] is of no relevance in this regard, given that no implementing provisions were in force” (para. 61).

 

  • “The Court has consistently held that where a restrictive system has been established for games of chance and that system is incompatible with Article 56 TFEU, an infringement of the system by an economic operator cannot give rise to penalties. This applies, contrary to the view of the Hungarian Government, both to criminal and, as in the case at issue, administrative penalties (para.56).

 

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, comments: “The recurring conclusions by the CJEU that national regulation must meet an objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate criteria for their online gambling legislation confirm that Member States should not circumvent the re-regulation of their markets, in accordance to the case law of the CJEU and the fundamental freedoms of the EU Treaties”.

He added: “At this point, the EU-regulated online gambling operators expect immediate enforcement measures from the European Commission to fulfil its role as guardian of the Treaties, by making use of the infringement procedures against unlawful national legislation“.

It should be highlighted that the European Commission sent an EU Pilot letter in 2014 to Hungary in reaction to the changes in the Hungarian gambling framework, in which it emphasised the negative impact on the freedom to provide services (Art 56 TFEU). As regards to transparent licensing tenders, the European Parliament called recently the Commission to strictly monitor existing government monopolies and the lawfulness of concession tenders in order to prevent any excessive distortion of competition [3].

A date for the ruling of the CJEU has not yet been set.

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

BetConstruct Press Releases

Babe Casino and BetConstruct Bring You Top Class Games

Published

on

January 5, London, UK: Babe Casino and BetConstruct partnered up to deliver one of the most dynamic gaming platforms. The online casino is considered highly attractive to players who have an appreciation for a quality gaming experience enhanced by transparency and 100% safety.

The Babe Casino and BetConstruct collaboration shines a welcoming new light on the age old world of online gaming, by adopting a feminine touch that is rarely available in the industry.

Being in league with one of the world’s leading providers of betting and gaming solutions allows all gaming enthusiasts access to unmatched VIP bonuses, top casino games, jaw dropping welcome bonuses and more! In its first year, Babe Casino is nominated for the Best New Casino award at AskGamblers Awards 2018.

Enhanced through BetConstruct, users can visibly witness newfound qualities that provide a unique environment, offering players entertainment and interactive game time that is unbeatable. For players seeking an attentive gaming experience, the casino games are suitably designed for gaming on the go or via PC, making it a popular attraction 24/7. Loyal players are treated to exclusive deals that are alluring to those who enjoy participating in extraordinary bonus deals, industry leading games and free game time. All transactions are protected as Babe Casino and BetConstruct have created a transparently safe and secure infrastructure to assure the privacy of all members.

BetConstruct and Babe Casino strive to enhance the gaming experiences by not only delivering high quality gaming standards, but by also implementing them and keeping existing members pleasantly rewarded through exciting new phases of development for the duration of membership. There’s a load of excitement yet to roll out at this classy, feminine casino, led by the top iGaming entrepreneurs.

About BetConstruct

BetConstruct is an award-winning developer and provider of online and land-based gaming solutions with development, sales and service centres in 15 countries.

BetConstruct’s innovative and proven offerings include an extensive range of market-leading products and services, including Sportsbook, eSports, Sports Data Solutions, Retail Betting Shop Solutions, RNG Casino Suite, Live Dealer Casino and VR Casino, Poker, Skill Games, Fantasy Sports, Social Platform and more.

Continue Reading

BtoBet Press Releases

BtoBet announces newly redesigned group

Published

on

The multinational iGaming and Sports betting technology partner BtoBet has reshaped its internal structure becoming a larger group today, embracing 2 companies, ITS (I-Trading solution) and IGS (I-Gaming Solutions) that allow the launch of 2 new divisions: BtoBet Sports and BtoBet Games.

ITS is specialized in risk management and trading while IGS is an experienced Games aggregator.

All operating under the same roof and adopting the same foremost technology.

With the new structure, BtoBet offers an even more comprehensive suite of products; Sportsbook platform and services for bookmakers and IGaming Platform and services devoted to the gaming industry.

Commenting on the BtoBet Sports division, BtoBet’s chairman Alessandro Fried stated:

“BtoBet Sports is focused on bookmakers’ needs and sportsbook players’ preferences. A dedicated team ensures the sports-betting brand provides the ultimate betting experience to the bettors. Based on BtoBet’s sports platform Neuron Sport, BtoBet Sports provides a highly customizable frontend for each operator, giving all the tools needed for risk management across all pre-match, live betting and virtual Jackpot betting products.”

About the BtoBet Games division, Fried highlighted:

“This new department is aimed at providing the perfect set of products and services needed for today’s iGaming business. A pull of skilled and dedicated experts assists and satisfies any of operator’s iGaming needs and requirements. The Neuron Casino omnichannel platform, based on Artificial Intelligence technology ensures tailored offers to maximize the effort of delivering the perfect Games offer.”

To conclude, Alessandro Fried announced:

“BtoBet’s new structure offers a bigger trusted team always available to support our Clients in their technical needs by providing advice when needed, flexibility to expand their business and a range of clear and simple products and services. We are able to allow the operators to manage their business autonomously, setting up their own strategies, all without the handicap of technology constraints or the limits of engaging fully-managed platforms. In addition, Btobet is able to supply them all the necessary services to make their own product and offer unique” and concluded “We are proud to present the new BtoBet Group at ICE, stand S1-320.”

 

About BtoBet

BtoBet is a multinational company and is part of a group with 20 years of experience in software development in IT, finance, telecommunication, e-commerce and banking, strongly committed to technology and widely investing in technology research and development. The experience gained in these advanced environments, allows BtoBet to be visionary in the iGaming and Sports betting industry with a deep understanding of the requirements of the market, catching changing trends and anticipating bookmakers’ and operators’ needs. BtoBet is a true partner in technology, offering a standalone platform and services for the iGaming and Sports Betting industry. It counts on a very talented, continuously trained development team and day to day management support to clients. BtoBet allows licensees to be unique in the market, by giving them the opportunity to completely personalise their offers for Sports betting and iGaming business, online mobile and retail. BtoBet has technical branches with large ever-growing teams of developers in Skopje, Ohrid, Bitola, Belgrade, Nish, Tirana, and Rome. Malta hosts the commercial and marketing centre. Visit our site on: www.btobet.com

Continue Reading

EEG iGaming Directory

NSoft released virtual games on Seven platform for Premier Kladionica

Published

on

NSoft’s VIP client and market leader from Bosnia and Herzegovina Premier Kladionica has enriched its website offer with Lucky Six and Greyhound Races. The games were released on Seven Platform web channel being the first step of complete transition to the new platform.

Lucky Six and Greyhound Races are known as the best performers on the local virtual games market. Premier decided to go with the Seven web channel after excellent results being achieved by the aforementioned games on their retail channel.

The games are available in the area of the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

NSoft and Premier Kladionica will continue their cooperation and integration of other virtual games using Seven Platform.

Having that in mind NSoft is continuing the expansion on targeted markets and preparing to reveal the novelties at ICE Totally Gaming Show in London on February 4-6, 2018.

In order to learn more about the NSoft’s upcoming projects book a meeting with our sales team following this link: https://goo.gl/xbjTCW.

 

ABOUT NSOFT

NSoft provides top quality software solutions for gaming and betting industry, including platform, virtual games, sportsbook, and lotteries.

Our unique approach to customers and creative software solutions positioned us as one of the top providers of innovative products for gaming industry. A combination of great products, great people, and great culture played a key role in our growth. We understand that strong and long-term partnerships are essential for further development, so we joined forces with world’s leading sport data provider – Sportradar. This means our products are available through Betradar’s sales channels.

NSoft Portfolio

  • SEVEN Platform
  • Virtual Games
    • Lucky Six
    • Lucky X
    • Next Six
    • Greyhound Races
    • Virtual Greyhound Races
    • Virtual Horse Races
    • Virtual Drag Races
    • Virtual Motorcycle Speedway
  • Sportsbook
    • Pre-Match Betting MTS & Self-Managed
    • Live Betting MTS
    • Pool Betting
  • Lotteries
    • World Numbers Service (Developed in partnership with Betradar)
  • Betradar (games available through NSoft’s sales channels)
    • Virtual Football League
    • Virtual Tennis Open
    • Virtual Basketball League

 

It is NSoft’s mission to provide betshop owners with powerful and visually appealing platform, amazing virtual games, and data-packed sportsbook, and help them grow their business.

By developing our state-of-the-art software solutions we are devoted to creating a business environment which will maximize our customers’ sales opportunities and empower their company to reach new levels of growth. Our ambition is to continue building value for customers, stakeholders and partners. You are more than welcome to join us on the journey. We would be delighted to work with you!

Contact emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Sector within the industry: betting/gaming software provider

Continue Reading

Trending

We are constantly showing banners about important news regarding events and product launches. Please turn AdBlock off in order to see these areas.