France is the latest EU member state to go under investigation by the European Commission for allegedly violating the free movement of services (Article 49 of the EC Treaty) in the sports gambling sector.
In April 2006, EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy launched an investigation into the practices of seven EU member states, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, to ensure that the measures put in place by the local governments to ban foreign gambling operators are necessary, not discriminatory and fully compatible with EU law.
“It is not acceptable to limit the freedom to provide betting services on account of protecting consumers and at the same time allow monopoly holders to advertise betting services,” commented a spokesman for McCreevy.
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