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HAVE THE DANES FOLDED ON GAMBLING MONOPOLY?
Danske Spil’s exclusivity days could be numberedThe Danish government has apparently responded positively to a European Commission ‘reasoned opinion’ issued over a year ago regarding the monopolistic gambling nature of the state-owned Danske Spil organisation.
This week European media reports under the header ‘Unibet Welcomes the Danish Tax Minister’s Will to End the Era of Monopoly’ published a press release from online gambling group Unibet’s CEO Petter Nylander congratulating the Danes and pledging to work together to create a “modern, regulated and responsible Danish gambling market.”
“We are looking forward to, together with the Danish government, creating a modern, regulated and responsible Danish gambling market”, Nylander, CEO wrote before giving details of the earlier EC ruling..
Denmark received a reasoned opinion from the European Commission in mid-March 2007. The opinion advised that the EU considered that the restrictions on the sports betting market imposed by Denmark and other member nations are not compatible with existing EU law and that the measures taken to restrict these services had not been shown to be necessary, proportionate and non-discriminatory (see previous InfoPowa report).
The opinion opened the way for litigation against Denmark in the European Court of Justice should the monopolistic policies continue.
Under the Danish Pools and Lottery Act (tips- og lottoloven), Danske Spil has hitherto been the only enterprise that can lawfully offer games, lotteries and bets to Danish gamblers.
Section 10 of the Act expressly lays down that no one except Danske Spil may offer games defined by the Act in Denmark. And no person or entity except the licensee may arrange for participation in such games offered by anyone other than Danske Spil.
The Danske Spil exclusivity has led to the prosecution of both competing gambling companies interested in the Danish market and even newspapers carrying gambling advertisements. It has also attracted the attention of the European Commission under its EU treaty compliance responsibilities.
In its reasoned opinion of March 21, 2007, the Commission unequivocally asserted that the Danish Pools and Lottery Act is incompatible with Article 49 of the EU Treaty, and that the measures taken in Danish law to restrict the free movement of sports betting services are unnecessary and disproportionate. The Commission warned the Danish state that it could find itself before the European Court of Justice if it did not respond to the non-compliance opinion.
Denmark has continued to drag out a solution, along with other member nations such as Germany, France, Finland, Hungary, Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Austria and Sweden. However, in recent months there has been a noticeable softening in resistance to the EU requirements, especially from Italy, France and (apparently) now from Denmark, together with more cautious approaches in The Netherlands and positive legal rulings in Germany.
WSOP FEVER
Sponsored seats galore for 2008 eventWith the 2008 World Series of Poker only months away, there has been a marked increase in seat sponsorship promotions…and not just at the top independents like Poker Stars and Full Tilt who as usual are offering a slew of WSOP entries as tournament prizes.
This week Ultimatebet was offering tournament activity leading to $12,000 Main Event prize packages featuring the $10 000 WSOP buy-in and $2 000 for travel accommodations. One promo alone this week had 25 WSOP seat sponsorships in the prize pool.
Titan Poker is offering executive seat packages of a $10 000 buy-in to the Main Event as well as registration fees and a 14-night accommodation (July 3rd – July 17th) for two in a luxury suite along with money for flights and spending, together with executive perks like two tickets to the “Blue Man Group” show in the Blue Man Group theatre at the Venetian Resort, dinner for two at the exclusive “SW Steakhouse” at the Wynn Hotel, and limousine pick-up to and from the Las Vegas airport.
Main and Side Events Super Satellite Series, each offering prize packages worth $14 000 and $6 500, respectively are also available.
A company spokesperson said “we are thrilled to offer a prize package of this magnitude. We want our players to have the experience of a lifetime while being a part of poker’s most premier yearly event.”
From Gibraltar, 32Red Poker has announced that they will be offering seats at the World Series of Poker to their players, in packages worth over $16 200 each. The WSOP seat promotion includes the $10 000 buy-in fee, $3 000 in travel expenses to Las Vegas and 32Red Poker are giving an extra $3 200 to the first seat winner.
32Red Plc CEO Ed Ware says, “It’s exciting to think 32Red Poker could be taking players to the WSOP to play against the world’s best. We’re confident our players would be competitive, having honed their skills and become winners with us at 32Red Poker.”
The competition to win the WSOP seats through 32Red Poker involves a series of satellite tournaments. The winners progress through the 32Red Poker tournaments and join one of the six finals. The winners of each will be jetted off to Vegas and the WSOP.
Chili Poker is also among the websites offering opportunities to fly to Vegas for the 2008 World Series of Poker, trips to Monte Carlo, $20 000 poker jackpot opportunities, and other tournament offers.
Even non-poker websites are offering WSOP seats. PoolStars is giving poker players a chance to walk away with a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event. The online billiards site offers a virtual version of the popular recreational game…and is attracting players with a WSOP promo.
These, and many other websites offer online poker fans a multitude of opportunities to win through to Vegas and the poker world’s biggest event, rubbing shoulders with the top players on the planet in the unique ambience of the traditional gambling capital of the world.
