Poland Joins Online Gambling Regulation Ranks

Online gamblers with an interest in the Eastern European nation of Poland had reason to celebrate this week with news that the government of Poland is preparing to license and regulate online gambling.

A recent European Court of Justice ruling in favor of British bookmakers who had been banned from operating in Italy without a license is expected to be the trigger for European countries to begin regulating the online gambling industry within their borders or face trouble with the European Commission.

The Warsaw Voice in Poland reported the government is planning to introduce regulations similar to those adopted by the Italian government as a result of the ECJ decision.

In handing down its ruling, the ECJ stated: "National regulations that prohibit the acceptance of bets unless one has a license issued by the relevant member state restrict the freedom of services", which is against European Commission regulations. As a result, any gambling company which seeks to market and accept clients from any European Union state only needs a license from a single EU country.

Industry analysts expect it will take some time before all EU states fall into line behind the UK and Italy, but it is inevitable that they must, as they are subject to the laws and regulations of the European Union. Eventually, it is expected EU states will compete to offer the most attractive license packages, and the UK will be left behind with Chancellor Brown's recent announcement of a 15% Remote Gaming Duty for online casinos. Many in the online gambling industry expected Brown to announce a tax of 2 or 3%, which would actually serve to attract online gambling companies to relocate and be licensed by the UK.

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