Europe Going Backwards?

January 3, 2013

For many western online gambling fans, the last months of 2012 were underscored by the changing attitude towards online casino operators firstly, in the USA, and then more recently in Canada. The Nevada Gaming Control Board took some brave first steps towards overhauling online gambling law in the USA. They have gone so far as to issue online gambling licences to online casino operators. New Jersey has just started down the same route. In Canada, it seems that online casino operators have found a useful loophole in online gambling law, one that the Canadian government seems to have no intention of closing.

However, Europe seems to be making no such move towards the revision of existing online gambling laws. Early last year the Government in Ireland announced that it would be delaying/deferring its plans to overhaul both online gambling law and tax. This was followed later in the year by the Government in Greece introducing very strict control on online gambling within its borders, effectively making Greece a no go market for online casino sites.

We have just heard news that the Turkish Government has decided that it is going to sell off the state owned sports betting enterprise, Spor Toto. It is concluded that this is the first in a series of steps that Turkey will take to effectively follow the same route as Greece, and make online gambling virtual impossible for local residents to enjoy. In 1996 Turkey banned real world casinos, so it really is not surprising to hear that the Government now intends to crack down on online casino sites. Turkey has also taken action over individual online casino sits, going so far as to block the website addresses of major online gambling sites. SportingBet, one of the most respectable online sportsbooks, was one of the online gambling sites affected by this censorship of internet use in Turkey in 2011.

We find it incredible that whilst some nations such as the USA and Canada are positioning themselves to start cleaning up with regards to tax revenue generated by online gambling, others are simply overlooking this major income stream. In the case of Greece, which is in serious economic trouble, the ignoring of online gambling as a source of income on a national level is simply incredible. Those who really wish to continue using an online casino in both Turkey and Greece will undoubtedly find a way to continue online gambling.

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