Ladbrokes Win EU Appeal

Ladbrokes’ appeal against the constraints of the European gambling market which prohibits eGaming companies from taking online wagers from Dutch residents, has secured an important victory when the Supreme Court in the Netherlands referred the petition to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Dutch regulations block Ladbrokes and other gaming eGaming businesses from accepting bets online from any resident of the Netherlands, where Ladbrokes currently do not promote their enterprises or even offer Dutch language services.

Ladbrokes appeal alleged that under the treaty of Rome, they should be allowed to offer their services and compete against Dutch gaming control in the Netherlands without the existing restrictions. De Lotto is the only legally recognised gambling operator in the country.

In a case that spanned out over a period of 6 years, the Dutch Supreme Court defended fundamental gaming laws in the Netherlands but requested support regarding European gaming law from the ECJ in relation to the right of a controlled online gaming company to be able to provide it services across European boundaries.

The decision comes ahead of an eagerly anticipated conclusion which is expected to be announced in the next two weeks from the EU Commission, on whether to begin proceedings at the ECJ against any of the other 9 countries that it considers to be restricting their eGaming markets to competition unjustly.  It is doubtful that the ECJ will return a verdict on the Ladbrokes’ case inside of a year, but many of the key UK eGaming operators are optimistic that the case will reinforce the EU Commissions’ argument against these states and compel them to relax their laws.

The outcome will also affect Ladbrokes Bingo Online, which is one of most recent bingo sites to successfully hit the virtual gaming arena, and whose site features excellent gaming software and outstanding promotions and jackpots.

20th June 2008