Hungary government is requiring that some online gambling operators must additionally provide a licensed land-based offering in order to supply their services to local players.
However according to the European Court of Justice found, the Hungarian policy violated Article 56 of the European Union Treaty and, as such, had prohibited organizations holding a license from another European Union country from providing their services unhindered across the entire 28-nation bloc.
The European union 28-judge body additionally decreed that Hungarian officials should understand that ‘no member state can require an offline activity as a pre-requisite to provide online gambling services’.
Indeed, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) industry group showed their interest in this decision form the EU and statement:
“We are pleased that the European Court of Justice has concluded this once and for all,” read a statement from Maarten Haijer, Secretary General for the EGBA. “Restrictive requirements like these that discriminate against operators who are entitled to provide their services in a member state have no place in the European Union. It is clear that, even if member states are to an extent free to regulate gambling according to their policy objectives, the overall framework is set by European Union law.”
