(Jamma) The Remote Gambling Association has written directly to the European Commissioner asking for action to prevent the anti-competitive reforms of the Greek gambling law from coming into effect. The opening up of the Greek online gambling market is threatened by changes that will result in a monopoly on online gaming entrusted to OPAP contrary to European Union law.
Even though the Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Greece in 2008 setting out its opinion on the incompatibility of OPAP's monopoly on online gaming with EU law, and the Court of Justice stated in the recent Stanleybet judgment that the Greece had not provided any evidence to justify the existence of the Greek state company's online monopoly, OPAP continued to operate undisturbed. The promotion of OPAP gaming products has become even more aggressive. It launched new products (such as greyhound bets in March 2011) and stepped up advertising of its gambling products. OPAP is today one of the leading advertisers, if not the leading advertiser, in Greece.
It has been five years since the Commission issued a reasoned opinion, but Greece has not changed its gambling laws to address these issues. In fact, far from having to adjust their legislation, they are in the process of making it even less compatible as the proposed law extends OPAP's monopoly to online gaming.
In these circumstances, the RGA believes that it has no alternative but to apply directly to Commissioner Barnier to intervene directly by launching an infringement procedure should the Greek parliaments approve the recently notified amendments to the gambling law to the European Commission.
With its actions, Greece has shown over a five-year period a contempt for the views of the Commission and the rules of the internal market of the European Union and it is wrong to allow this situation to continue indefinitely.
