Denmark Finally Opens Up
Online Gambling Market
 April
24 - After months of pressure from the European Commission (EC),
the Scandinavian country of Denmark announced this week that it
will comply with the European Union (EU)
open trade services, including those regarding online gambling,
which will mean an
end to the country's state-run gambling monopoly.
Despite falling under the EU, the Danish government has always
'dragged its feet' concerning the
opening of online gambling to foreign-owned and operated
internet casinos.
Now, thanks to the EC, Denmark is set to become the latest
country in Europe to
end its state monopoly and encourage competition.
For the last 60 years Denmark's state run gambling arm, Danske
Spil, has been the only gambling entity allowed to operate in
the country. Thanks to pressure from the EC,
it will lose its rights to exclusivity in all areas of gambling
with two exceptions
- it will still retain the rights to the nation's lottery and
scratch-card games.
Under the EU open trade services agreement,
foreign online gambling operators will be able to offer their
services to Danish citizens and advertise in the country.
However,
operators will first have to apply for Danish online gambling
licenses from the government
and put measures in place to combat problem gambling.
Said a leading European online gambling expert, 'The Danish
opening shows that the EC can get countries to comply.
We can expect to see more EU member nations honoring their
commitments to free and open trade,
and revenues previously being lost to unregulated online casinos
will now help national treasuries.'
Last year
gamblers in Denmark spent close to $2 billion dollars
on the pastime, almost a quarter of which ended up in government
coffers.
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