Euro Online Casino

The European Court of Justice is of the opinion that the monopoly run by Portugal on online gambling is adequate as it protects the public and combats fraud. This case surfaced because of a disagreement based on an online casino operator bwin trying to sponsor a Portuguese soccer club, Liga.

Bwin advertising on Liga soccer uniforms and websites was fined by a state charity that had sole rights to electronic gambling and lottery. Previous court rulings stated that the state could control free trade in the interest of public protection however it went by standard ruling without clearly defining the difference between previous online gambling rulings and the Portuguese system.

Justifying its ruling the court stated that because of huge winnings available to players, there was a risk of fraudulent or criminal activity. A statement released by bwin indicated that they found it hard to understand how crime was harder to commit off line than online.

The ruling raised concerns of shifting EU policies, but it was in line with previous rulings. The court ordered other EU countries to revamp online casino gambling rules to deal more with the social dangers involved rather than controlling revenue.