If the European Commission holds its grounds strong, the German law prohibiting certain forms of online betting is about to go for a toss. But it’s still not clear who is going to win, though the new regulation posed by the German government attracted numerous criticisms from the German online gambling community. While the German government is looking at the whole game plan as a way to stop the money from going outside the country in vain, long-time online gamblers are criticizing massively the new regulations as much as the Internet betting companies as well as the lottery brokers. The ones that got the centre stage most due to the controversy are Bwin Interactive Entertainment, Tipp24 and Fluxx, who further turned up the heat by claiming the regulations as contrary to law and filing a lawsuit against the policies if required.
 
The European Gaming and Betting Association claimed Germany’s gambling law to be a violation of the European Union laws that approve of the free goods and services trading within the European continent. However, the only form of gambling that has not been threatened by it is horse racing, but that doesn’t seem to pull it off with the EGBA (European Gaming and Betting Association), more so, because of an arrest warrant issued against Unibet CEO Petter Nylander and his organisation. The European Commission backed much of the opposition indirectly; Germany was asked to reconsider the entire law by the Regulator of the European Union since they consider the agenda disproportional. However, Germany’s answer concerned the citizens of the country – it is a step the Government took to protect the Germans as well as the economy; that translated, to stop the German currency from crossing the borders and to lift the morals of the countrymen.

The European Commission’s regulatory arm has gone to the extent of opening an investigation regarding the German law; according to Oliver Drewes (commission spokesman) – “The government soon will decide whether Germany broke EU laws, for regulators are aware of the gambling groups’ concerns”. Now, with the commission and the European courts’ orders on the EU member countries for not - in any way - restricting legal gambling businesses, the law has taken a twist to controversies and European Government officials are gearing up to push ahead against the German as well as other EU states in the gambling sector with legal actions.
 
Sigrid Ligne (secretary general, EGBA) made his statement clear - “We urge the Commission now to fast track our complaint and launch infringement proceedings against Germany.” The actions have also been taken to stop financial losses from occurring to several related industries e.g. Aftonbladet, Sweden’s largest daily newspaper that generates revenues that is more than a million dollars every month from online gambling ads. The newspaper has asked Commissioner McCreevy to speed up the process against the gambling restrictions. However, if Brussels join the bandwagon of protestors against Germany, there are high chances that the European Court of Justice shall fine and force the country for changing its laws.

By Samantha Williams 

Speak of gambling, and oftentimes you’ll see people burying their hands in pockets and wallets, hoping to find something that will be worthy for betting. Indeed, gambling is almost synonymous to money. However, a player who’s actually serious about it knows that it is more than that. It’s about strategy, luck, respect, and honor.

Here are the basic commandments when it comes to gambling:

1. Don’t ever cheat. Cheating can only give you temporary euphoria. It’s your ticket to earn the money you’ve long been waiting for. But it will never tell you if you’re truly a good player. What’s more, cheating will only prove to you that you don’t deserve what you earn. It will also lessen or even diminish the confidence and trust other players may have in you. If you don’t want to be banished in gaming tables and casinos, avoid showing your evil techniques.

2. Bet only the money that you can afford. Whether you like it or not, gambling can sometimes be addictive, and it’s very important that you will learn to practice self-control. Don’t blame the game. After all, it’s you who has the power to manipulate it.

3. Pay your debts. Gambling wouldn’t be as exciting as it should be if not for the bets or stakes. However, it’s only good as long as you’re winning. If you don’t, then you can watch your money slip by. The least thing that you can do is to preserve your honor by not forgetting to pay your debts. Besides, it’s the part of the risk that you have to take once you decide to play.

4. Improve your odds by excellent calculations. You may constantly hear that gambling is a game of chance. Though this may be true, you have the power to improve your odds by simply sticking to fool-proof strategies related to the game you were playing. Thus, make sure that before you sit on the gaming tables, you’ve already at least equipped yourself with basic techniques. You can look for some books pertaining to the game or surf through the World Wide Web. There are already too many strategies that you can find online.

5. Respect your opponents. Of course, when you play in poker or any type of gambling game, you’re up against one or a group of people. Your initial reaction is to protect your interest. You basically don’t want to exhaust your money through losing. However, it’s not-enough reason to not practice gambling etiquette. If you don’t want to annoy your fellow players, make sure that you don’t blurt out other people’s cards. Perhaps you’ve heard of the technique called bluffing in poker. It simply means “bluffing” or telling a white lie to your opponents, hoping that they will fold their cards and you win the game or perhaps to increase the pot or the stake. Though this is a very effective strategy, you must know the best time to use it. Otherwise, they may have the last laugh.