POSSIBLE BWIN VS. GERMAN STATES COMPENSATION CLAIM?

29 June 2007

Monopolistic state gaming bans hurt Austrian online gambling group, says CEO

The chief executive of the Vienna-listed Bwin online gambling group has indicated in a German newspaper interview that his company may present the 16 German states with a major compensation claim after its business and reputation suffered as a result of monopolistic gaming bans.

According to ATE Online this week, co-chief executive Norbert Teufelberger told the German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung that he was confident the European Court of Justice would rule that the German states' efforts to protect their monopoly over games of chance is illegal.

In a timely comment (earlier reports in Der Spiegel indicated a deal was shaping up between the European Commission and the German states) Teufelberger said that Bwin supported a solution to the ongoing issue that would see states maintaining a full monopoly in the lottery sector, whilst appropriately regulated online gaming providers like Bwin are given the right to offer sports betting, casino games and poker in exchange for a 15 percent tax on gross winnings.

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