In recent weeks Germany has proposed prohibitive taxation on the industry. There is an underlying conflict here between regulation and prohibition. Current Facts Online gambling is a huge industry. Research conducted by the European Commission estimated that online gambling had a turnover of about 8.3 billion euros ($11.8 billion) in 2008 – a figure that was expected to increase in the coming years. In the UK, where online gambling is legal and tightly regulated, the government makes about 250 million pounds (286 million euros/$407 million) a year from taxes, says Leighton Vaughan Williams, the director of the Betting Research Unit […]

More people than ever before are gambling in the UK and enjoying this past time. The Gambling Commission, in their recent report, stated that nearly 75% of adults had gambled sometime during the previous year The odds in London are that a previously vacant shop on a high street near someone is now a betting shop. As they prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary in May of the legalisation that first allowed them to open, bookmakers are proliferating on Britain’s high streets. Bookies have been dealt a strong hand: both the recession and changes in the law having been relatively […]

You might not beleive that the offlin ebetting in our country is not yet comparable to the market in Croatia or Serbia. The aspects concerning this issue, from the legislative or economical point of view, following… Still fresh market The romanian offline sports betting is still fresh, compared to other countries within the Balkans, where Croatia and Servia probably have, after England, the most developed offlin eindustry in Europe, as well as the countries of the Central Europe, Cehia, Slovakia or Poland. Eduard Bieltz, general director of Superbet has noticed. The signs of increasing are yet pretty good, and the […]

The methodological norms for applying the Urgent Govern Ordinance no.77/2009 regarding gambling operation and organization (part 2) We are continuing presenting the most important articles of the application norms of the  Urgent Govern Ordianance no.77/2009 regarding gambling organization and operation  that will have an important impact upon the future of the Romanian gambling market. These legislative regulations will be presented within the following editions of our magazine ART. I The methodological norms for applying the Urgent Govern Ordianance no.77/2009 regarding gambling organization and operation, approved by Givern decision no.870/2009, published on the Romanian Official Monitor Part I no.528/ July 30, […]

A great interview with Michelle Cummins, Casino Bucharest’s General Manager, about laws, taxes and other things that pressure the Romanian gambling industry. In your opinion, how is the gambling market now, compared to the situation in 2010? It is very difficult to make any firm statements about the current gambling market – everything is still in flux. Signs of recovery can be identified one week and the next week business levels are in decline once again. The situation is still volatile and uncertain. I have noticed that confidence and optimism levels are improving in the business environment, which is the […]

At approximately one year and a half from the major changes brought to the Romanian gambling industry, the authorities have prepared at the end of the last year an immense emergency ordinance, which brought modifications for the entire Fiscal Code, from the income tax all the way to the VAT, small taxes and gambling. If some of these modifications and completions brought to the Government emergency ordinance nr. 77/2009 (OUG 77/2009), included by the Executive in the Law nr. 246/2010, are wellcomed, as well as the introduction into legality of online gambling, others, such as the taxation of the access […]

With a history over five millenniums, China comes to the fore with the most ancient lottery formula in the entire world, Named Keno that appeared during Han dynasty, between year 205 and 187 BC. In that period, when certain states didn’t even exist, the Chinese people played the lottery. Some say that even the Great Wall of China was built with the funds raised from lottery. At first, the most ancient lottery in the world had a realistic purpose, to alphabetize the Chinese children. Keno, made of a poem of 1000 non repetitive rimes, had to help the little ones […]

What can you tell us about the new law in force? After long expectations, we have started the discussions on this law about one year ago, since December 2009, when the Gaming Commission where we are participants, not members, since we have no right to vote, someone within the Govern opened the discussion due to the fact that large amounts leave the country. We are talking about almost 500 million euros- revenues from on line gaming, untaxed by the Romanian state.  The firms that operate in Romania the online domain have been licensed in Malta, Gibraltar or Man Island and […]

The businesses of the electronic equipment manufacturers started to fall. The economic crisis, the significant increase of the taxes starting with 2009, the decrease of investment in new machines as well as the second-hand items’ avalanche, reduced the sales even deeper. The representatives of this market claim that one of the main obstacles that prevent the carrying of activities are the lack of security, the very often and extremely short-notice changes of legislation, of taxes and fees, not only for gambling but for all economic sectors, as well as the high offer of second hand items. “The sales have practically […]

The new legislative measures that are to be adopted by the Romanian Parliament in the foreseeable future are the “twin sister” of last year’s decisions adopted by means of O.U.G 77/2009. “Following the debate for the approval of the draft of the Emergency Ordinance no.77/2009, regarding the organization and exploitation of gambling, during the meeting on June 23, 2010, the Commission proposes submitting for discussion and adoption for the Chamber of Deputies, a report of accepted amendments which are presented in Annex 1 and of rejected amendments, which are presented in Annex 2.”, this is the way the new series […]