European national regulators form an unofficial exclusive club that is leading to a fundamental change of the regulatory framework in Europe and, consequently, of the remote gambling industry, influencing North America also.
January 16th and 17th it had been held in Rome the fourth informal meeting of the Authorities of European Countries that had already adopted or intend to adopt a national regulation for remote gambling. I had the opportunity to attend to the final workshop open to representatives of main remote gambling operators licensed in Italy.
The six Countries that took part to the two days of work – Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, United Kingdom – represent around 65% of total European population. It is interesting the presence of UK in the group. Unlike other Countries, UK is going to adopt a legislation that subdues online gambling offer to assignment of a national authorisation, coming from an historical position open to cross-border gambling offer. Its presence testifies its policies and objectives are now homogeneous to those of other partners and it could have a driving role because of its experience as a cross-border regulated market.
There were many different issues in the official Agenda that had been published by the ADM – Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, but such an informal and practical group does not work necessarily like that. The matter that mostly marked that meeting had been “role and responsibility of remote gambling providers and measures aimed to deter them from providing unlicensed operators with products they provide to the licensed ones”. That is an argument of particular concern to the host of the meeting, the responsible of Italian remote gambling Francesco Rodano. Only some Countries, like Spain and UK, assign specific responsibility and request formal authorisation to providers. Gambling provider in Italy, at the moment, is not regulated and does not require any authorisation. I believe we are to expect adoption of practices and measures homogeneous, identified as the most effective ones, among a wide number of Countries. That matter is mostly relevant for casino games, but it is of interest for poker also.
In conjunction with above-mentioned issue the group discussed also common liquidity of poker, despite formally not included in the agenda. The project for common liquidity is of crucial importance for the revival of poker industry, particularly in Spain and in Italy, taking into account current decline of volumes. But those Countries didn’t showed to have the needed sense of purpose till now. Recent decision of French Parliament, that took France out of the project, impacts on that. French Parliament rejected recommendations of Arjel’s former president Jean-Francois Vilotte, resigning for that reason.
Nevertheless, not only Francesco Rodano, responsible for remote gambling for Italian ADM, and Carlos Hernàndez Rivera, general manager of Spanish DGOJ, but also Jenny Williams, commissioner and chief executive of UK Gambling Commission, showed interest and commitment for future common poker liquidity among national markets. That matter is far from an operational stage, but there are on-going evaluations and deepening. UK in particular could play a key role not only for the importance of its market, but because it can testify its experience in the dot.com environment, with reference to possible critical issues feared by other partners.
Comparison among customer protection practices is always under discussion during those meetings, directly or indirectly as a central part of the Authorities’ mission. Without prejudice to regulatory autonomy of each single State, common recommendations would suit particularly to Italy, where gambling is under a strong attach by third sector associations, media, and politicians. Gambling online in Italy risks to be a victim of collateral damage caused by attach to gambling in general. I had been last Saturday in Florence to a meeting organised by third sector associations promoting the campaign “Mettiamoci in gioco” for gambling limitation. Politicians attending the event confidentially confirm that gambling online is for them a “black hole”, they do not know anything about it. Jenny Williams expressed to her colleagues there is strong pressure for gambling limitation in UK also. But in UK attitude seems much more calm than in Italy. We are a Latin Country.
At lasts a couple of good news. Cooperation is going on to improve standardisation of technical requirements of systems and to streamline process and reduce bureaucracy for authorisation and licensing. Authorities will coordinate to process and publish on a six-months-period basis comparable data regarding remote gambling market in each Country.
