Wednesday, March 28, 2007

The European Commission has warned German regions to think about revising
plans to ban online gambling or face possible legal action, an official at
the EU's executive arm said last week. This current action is the latest in
string of heated clashes between Brussels and European Union countries over
the gambling industry, which is limited to state-controlled monopolies in
several EU countries. EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen wrote to
German regional state governments on Friday, giving them a month to amend a
draft agreement on the issue, the EU official stated, verifying earlier
reports by Reuters. 'We asked Germany to reconsider the total ban on lottery
and sports betting on the Internet. We think a proposed total ban is
disproportionate and there are less restrictive measures, such as mandatory
prior registration and strict guarantees on identification,' the Commission
official said. Britain and Austria, two countries with thriving online
gaming industries, have already contested the ban.