2012’s Most Notable Legislative Changes for Online Gambling

2012 was a year filled with changes to online gambling regulations in many countries around the world. Germany, Spain and the Netherlands all reformed gambling laws during the year but not all of the changes were accepted with enthusiasm.

Until 2012, The German government had a repressive stance on internet gambling which allowed it to maintain a monopoly. Germany faced the most controversy when the state of Schleswig Holstein went rouge and decided to introduce its own gambling regulations. Schleswig Holstein’s liberal leaders announced that, in contrast to other German states, it would issue gambling licenses to operators who submitted to rigorous investigation and agreed to pay taxes worth 20% of their gross gambling revenues. Operators jumped at the chance and Betsafe, NordwestLotto, JAXX were issued the first licenses while many others waited for approval. However, as the government has now changed hands, the more conservative government may take action.

The Netherlands looked to internet gambling as a source of potential revenue that could help offset the country’s financial problems. Operators that were granted licenses also went through a thorough evaluation and agreed to pay a whopping tax of 29% of their gross profits. Spain also chose to regulate online gambling in a way similar to Italy. Both countries enlisted the help of internet gambling watchdog eCORGA to ensure that operators were using fair and secure platforms as well as developing industry standards.

As European Union (EU) countries have been determining their own laws regarding internet gambling, many have voiced concerns about violations to EU laws. 2012 was a year of change in individual countries and maybe 2013 will see the European Commission (EC) address the violations and regulations issues by finally drafting laws that all EU countries must comply with.