CR78-p08-EuropeCE&CIS1:SJC-Casino Review 22/3/09 01:51 Page 1
internationalcasinoreview
Mayor shrugs off Moscow closures
Moscow mayor Sergei Baidakov has said the loss of
tax revenue after the closure of the casinos is “not an
insurmountable problem for the
city’s economy”. The city will
News
lose around 5.5bn roubles
(E123m) in revenues, just
over half of one per cent of
the annual budget. Fines of up
to 50,000 roubles (E1,115) or
five years’ prison would be
handed to those
convicted of
running illegal
EUROPE CENTRAL, EAST, CIS
gambling.
European Parliament
Despite the efforts of online gaming
operators and some members of the
votes to keep gambling
European Commission to allow
pan-European rules to hold sway over
gambling on the internet, MEPs have
subsidiarity principle
voted in favour of individual nation
states having the final say.
devolvedissue comed by the European Goudsmit added: “With through a Licence+ system
EUROPEAN UNION Casino Association, which [this] vote, we have wit- allowing licensed operators
represents the operators of nessed yet another clear to expand their distribution
The European Parliament has more than 950 land-based manifestation of the political channels to include remote
voted overwhelmingly in casinos in Europe. Chairman will supporting the funda- means which would help to
favour of a resolution to Ron Goudsmit commented: mental principles of sub- maintain public policy objec-
maintain the principle of sub- “The European Parliament sidiarity and the country of tives such as consumer pro-
sidiarity in the matter of gam- has always place social and destination.” tection and crime
bling and gaming, especially public order concerns over Competition from online prevention. Such a system
over the internet. purely economic interests. gambling providers has sig- would conform to the WTO
The resolution, on a report The resolution acknowl- nificantly damaged the busi- ruling that sees remote gam-
produced by the Danish edges that Member States are ness of land-based bling as a like service.
Socialist member Christel best placed to ensure con- operations, including tradi- In the long term, the ECA
Schaldemose on the sumer protection and fraud tional casinos, according to would like to see a consis-
“integrity” of online gam- prevention through the reg- almost everyone in the indus- tent framework for gambling
bling, saw 544 MEPs support ulation and control of their try. As online services are at the EU level, which would
it, while 36 voted against and individual gambling markets, often operated either at or create a level playing field
66 abstained. Schaldemose’s and their right to do so has beyond the limit of the law taking into account all the
report stressed the special been repeatedly confirmed and do not pay tax in the important elements
nature of gambling services by the European Courts.” country where the gambling enshrined in existing
due to the social and public The Schaldemose resolu- revenues are generated and national gambling legisla-
order aspects linked to them tion calls on the European at nothing like the same tion, such as responsible
and took a clear stance Commission to carry out levels, it is deemed to be gambling provisions, crime
against the application of research into the risks of unfair competition. prevention, consumer pro-
Internal Market principles, online gambling, take appro- The European Casino tection and taxation.
in what is a highly sensitive priate measures to combat Association holds that In the absence of such a
subject for EU countries. illegal online gambling serv- remote gambling per se is framework, the Association
A report by British MEP ices and aggressive gambling simply an alternative means wants the country of desti-
Christel Schaldemose, the Danish
Socialist MEP whose report calling for
Malcolm Harbour arguing advertising and to come of distribution of gambling nation principle applied to
more research on online gambling and
precisely the opposite was forward with proposals for services and that it should be all gambling operators and
the upholding of the subsidiarity
defeated heavily. an EU approach to regulat- licensed. It believes that the all means of distribution of principle drew massive support
The vote has been wel- ing online gambling. most appropriate way is gambling services.
New venue & lower taxes in Bremen Bavarian
smoking
changeofaddress Revenues from the casino
GERMANY and its satellite have been
ban to go
lower in the last few years,
Casino Bremen, which cur- and particularly since the
rently has a satellite slot introduction of the smoking in August
machine operation a kilome- ban and the interstate treaty
tre away, is to merge and on gambling: its peak was in
move into one location, oper- 2001 when revenues upinsmoke national average of around
ator WestSpiel has reached E27m. GERMANY a quarter. As soon as it is
announced. The move to another able, the casino intends to
The company has venue has been on the cards The smoking ban in the permit smoking once again
received the go-ahead from since 2004, with 14 alterna- southern German state of in its bottom floor slot
the senate of the City-State, tive venues looked into, Bavaria is set to be lifted in salon.
which decided at the same including on the square in casinos in August, if the The casino will celebrate
time to reduce the gambling front of the railway station, at legislation currently before its tenth anniversary at its
tax from its current 62 per the racecourse and in a the parliament is passed. new location in the coming
cent to 55 per cent until harbour location. There is The news will be 12 months and the new
2013. In addition WestSpiel’s currently a rental option particularly welcomed at finance minister for
licence has been extended being mooted for a building Casino Lindau on Lake Bavaria, Frank Josef
to ten years. overlooking the river Weser, Constance (Bodensee), Pschierer, has said he is
The company expects that although that option runs where the ban and the considering plans for
its move to a bigger and out at the end of March. provisions of the interstate further changes at the
better venue will allow it to Inevitably there will be treaty on gambling have casino, for example, to put
attract up to a third more vis- job losses: WestSpiel expects had a particularly deep the entire gaming
itors and thereby increase its it will be able to save around impact, having seen 2008 operation on the upper
gross gaming revenues by E200,000 in wage costs revenues sink by around a floor, leaving the lower
E2m to about E17m. through the move. third - more than the floor for entertainment.
8 April 2009 • europecentraleast&cisnews
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58