After being detained for two hours and then released by Belgian authorities, bwin.party digital entertainment co-chief executive officer Norbert Teufelberger was given until December 17 to address questions posed by Belgian officials on the legality of his company's operations in the country.
A confirmation that the questioning was about bwin.party's online gambling operations in Belgium deemed by the authorities as illegal, arrived from Peter Naessens, legal advisor to the Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC), who said: "We have repeatedly asked them to apply for a licence and they have refused to comply.”
However, this position is opposed and refused by bwin.party which claims that Belgian Law is not compliant with European Union Law which requires member states to open their gambling markets up to competition.
In its statement about the case, the company stated: "bwin.party maintains the position that it is acting and has always acted in compliance with applicable laws. Yesterday's interview lasted for two hours, after which Mr Teufelberger, who had been chairing an industry conference about responsible gaming and regulation, left Belgium as originally planned. bwin.party intends to continue its on-going dialogue with the BGC."
Also commenting on his 'interview' with the Belgian authorities, Norbert Teufelberger and Jim Ryan, Co-CEOs, said: “We have been at the forefront of regulatory change in Europe for several years and we have licences in Gibraltar, Alderney, Denmark, France, Germany (Schleswig-Holstein), Italy and Spain. We continue to strive for a regulatory framework in European Member States that is compliant with EU law.”
In related news, after Teufelberger got detained by the Belgian authorities, Financial Times reporter Jonathan Guthrie wrote an article in which he criticized the European Union for its lack of an EU framework and lack of action concerning a single EU market for online gambling.
In his article, Guthrie noted: "Belgium's protectionist model is one that other member states may copy if it persists unchallenged.
"Regulated gambling is a legal business in the EU. The EC has a duty to enforce a single market on member states. The moral objections of some national politicians are irrelevant. Ditto the desire of others to protect state-owned operators, including lotteries, from online private sector competitors.
"The EC has appeared quiescent, parking infringement cases for years on end. Last month it showed signs of waking up, proposing to reactivate nine cases against member states and to investigate 20 more. Good. Restricting the availability of regulated online wagering to EU citizens will only encourage the growth of unregulated alternatives. The genie of internet gambling is out of the bottle," he concluded.
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