Betfair to Apply for Dutch License
For over a year Betfair has been battling the Dutch government. Betfair wanted to tap the Dutch online gambling market based on its United Kingdom license. Betfair has cited that the European Union policies allow free trade across borders of member countries and therefore it can access markets in all EU member countries including the Netherlands. However, last week Betfair announced that it “will be applying for a license in the Netherlands at the first opportunity”.
This change in tactics resulted from an unexpected court decision. The case of Betfair was in the Dutch Supreme Court. Since the matter involved EU law, this court asked directions from the European Court of Justice on whether the Dutch policy was in line with EU law. The European Court of Justice ruled that EU nations had the sovereign right to ban online gambling provided they could justify the ban. The court also issued a rider that the EU nations should issue licenses in a fair and transparent manner. Betfair will be applying for a Dutch license based on this part of the European Court’s order.
Betfair has not given up its mission of a unified regulated gambling regime across the European Union. Betfair’s Director of European Public Affairs, Tim Phillips, said, “Today’s judgment once again demonstrates the need for the European Commission to take a lead on this issue, so that we can separate fact from fiction and settle the online gambling debate once and for all.”
Betfair offers a number of gambling products including an online casino. Players can deposit funds using popular payment options such as PayPal, Neteller and Moneybookers.
