EC Changes Have Online Gambling
Wondering What is Going On?
December 10, 2009
The European Commission really has to stop confusing people. Over the years depending on who was at the helm, you could count on a variety of different ways for the EC to go – and this does not make it any easier to follow. Each of their leaders has had a different way of implementing things; this is something you see in every change of leadership. But you also saw a disparity between what they stood for and what things were important to them, depending on who was running things.
Charlie McCreevy is the latest to go, and he was all about getting free movement of goods across state lines. He wanted to see governments allowing online gambling within their borders and also allowing it to flow back and forth. McCreevy felt that online gambling would not only help each country’s economy, but that it was truly a simple request. If one country allowed online gambling to exist within its borders and so did another – they needed to be able to work together to bring online gambling to all of their residents from both countries.
However, there were many states and governments that did not want to see online gambling legalized across their borders, and they fought it on a daily basis. But with Michel Barnier now stepping forward as European Commissioner for internal markets, many are wondering where online gambling will go. They are sure that as he is a Frenchman that online gambling will not be pushed the way that it was before.
France did not want to legalize any form of online gambling across its borders, so it can only be assumed that this may be one part of the current legislature that might go by the way side. As Barnier is not the end all be all in the discussion and that there are more hearings for him to go through before he gets the position – its anybody’s guess where online gambling is going from here.
