EU ruling boosts online gambling firms

2007-03-06 16:52:44

The most powerful court in the European Union has ruled that Italy cannot use its own laws to prevent companies licensed elsewhere in the EU from accepting Italian bets, in what is set to be a landmark ruling for the industry.

Luxembourg's European Court of Justice today made the ruling with regard to Stanley Leisure, a bookmaker licensed in the UK that had been threatened with prosecution within Italy.

The judgement effectively means that companies with a license given in one EU country will now have a legal precedent for arguing that it applies to all other countries within the union.

Industry officials hailed the result and said they hoped it would pave the way for a further reduction in protectionist attitudes.

"We think it's time that the commission and national lawmakers act now to end this protectionism,'' said Stanley deputy director-general Adrian Morris, according to Bloomberg.

The likes of William Hill have invested heavily in Italian licences of late, the bookmaker now holding 55 around the country.

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