Belgium Doing What They Want
December 12, 2009
Those that were hoping that all of the countries in the European Union would simply do what has been asked of them when it comes to online gambling are about to be disappointed once again. There are several countries that have come forth and said that they will not comply with the European Commission’s wishes as they pertain to online gambling, and Belgium seems to be the latest one.
The European Gaming and Betting Association says that they have concerns about a new online gambling law that the country is passing. The association is a trade organization that most of the bigger online gambling companies in Europe belong to. They say that although they have already been told to be careful in the online gambling arena, Belgium has seemingly decided to do what it wants instead.
They are drafting a new law regarding online gambling that is in conflict with the desires of the European Commission’s ruling. The law requirements are very clear on how they want online gambling to be handled, yet some countries are disregarding it – Belgium included. They said that they want the online gambling operators to be based in Belgium if they wanted access to their players.
They also put a limit on the number of online gambling licenses that they would allow, and they said that they have to have a server based in the country. Some are wondering if the law is even legal, but according to Belgium Parliament it is and they are enforcing it.
