(Jamma) “Apparently – writes the sports receivers union in a note – foreign bookmakers who want to collect bets in our country without going through the issue of the state concession can ask the judge for clearance. After the British Stanley, also the Austrian GoldBet it seems to be embarking on a brilliant career in Italy, with telematic betting outlets scattered everywhere, thanks to the interpretation that the Court of Cassation has made of the Costa – Cifone sentence.
Ruling on an appeal filed by the Trani Public Prosecutor's Office, the judges essentially stated that the exclusion of an operator from a tender for the granting of concessions cannot be remedied by a subsequent public selection which guarantees the commercial positions already acquired .
In short, the state monopoly is fine, provided that it does not discriminate against those of that monopoly who do not respect the rules.
This is, in fact, the paradoxical conclusion reached by following the reasoning of the judges who, up to now, have expressed themselves in relation to the cases of CTD affiliated to bookmakers without a licence.
By now, it's a short step from affirming that any betting operator established in the territory of the Union can freely carry out its activity in Italy.
It is enough to invoke Community law by placing it in front of the limitations imposed by our licensing system to obtain a ruling in one's favour.
But this is not good because there are operators who, in order to work legitimately, have participated in a public tender, obtained a concession and regularly settle their accounts with the tax authorities.
It's not good because there are receivers, authorized by the aforementioned concessionaires, who in turn collect the bets in full legality and pay taxes on the related income.
In short, it's not good, because authorized and non-authorized operators and receivers are placed on the same level, without distinction.
So who discriminates against whom?
