Moyes85 Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum but have a bit of a rant I need to get off my chest. Please humour me if you can. The EU has recently ruled that it's ok for governments like Portugal, Germany and Greece to operate state-run gambling monopolies in those countries. Doesn't sound like a big deal. Except it has repercussions. Now that gamblers in those countries can't use the bookmakers of their choice, there is less competition between suppliers. This means that anyone, no matter where they live, has to pay more if they want to bet on football. And it's all because politicians want to get more revenue for themselves. There's a petition at www.right2bet.net trying to make betting cheaper for everyone. God knows I lose enough money as it is. Rant over, please forgive me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holystove Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 I don't see a point in signing that petition. Gambling has been ruled not to fall completely under the freedom to provide services. If you want to change that, you shouldn't petition the EU. You should petition your national governments. Force them to adopt national legislation, or change the Treaties. Other than that, the member states have the right to regulate gambling themselves if they justify it in light of public policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moyes85 Posted October 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 I don't see a point in signing that petition. Gambling has been ruled not to fall completely under the freedom to provide services. If you want to change that, you shouldn't petition the EU. You should petition your national governments. Force them to adopt national legislation, or change the Treaties. Other than that, the member states have the right to regulate gambling themselves if they justify it in light of public policy. It's the job of the EU Commission to ensure comsumers are protected by guaranteeing fair competition across industries, so it's up to the EU Commissioner for Competition to lobby the governments of Portugal, Germany, France, Sweden etc to put an end to their state-run monopolies and allow prices to go down across hte board. That's why the petition is aimed at the EU, but once if attracts enough support, it can be used to show national governments that people expect fair prices too, so I think it's versatile enough for the cause! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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