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Supreme Court not yet finished with Ladbrokes |
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zondag, 15 juni 2008 |
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According to the Dutch Supreme Court, the British boomaker Ladbrokes is still violating the Dutch Gaming Act. The European Court will still have to say how this relates to European laws. The High Council believes that bookmaker Ladbrokes is guilty of violation of the Gaming Act by using the Internet to offer sports betting to the Dutch. The Council indicated this last Friday in a judgement.
The question is thus not yet been completed. The Council is still waiting for answers from the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on how European law must be interpreted in this case. The Supreme Council is not the only one who suggested questions to the European Court on Internet gambling. Even judges from other Member States and the Dutch Council of State did so last month. The question now is how the Dutch state monopoly on gambling relationship with the European law on the free movement of services. That provision is contained in the EC Treaty. Restrictions on the provision of services are prohibited as members no good justification so.
One justification could well be sufficiently limited gambling such as the Netherlands and the fight against gambling addiction seriously pick up. However, the Dutch government advertising saturated with advertisements for lotteries and gambling in the media. It also asks the Supreme Court questioned whether national judges in each case a decision to do about the blocking of foreign gambling sites. Ladbrokes has in the United Kingdom a licence for the provision of gambling. After answering the questions, the case will be handled by the High Council.
Bettingoffice Ladbrokes is one of the many companies with gambling sites until now legally bone begins to Dutch judges. That did also include Unibet and Betfair. A case of Betfair to the Council of State is also still pending. These include among others the refusal by Justice Minister Hirsch Ballin to Betfair kansspelvergunningen should be granted.
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