EU court rejects German gambling limits

Gambling companies won a rare legal victory in their quest to loosen government monopolies in continental Europe in September 2010 when the European Court of Justice found that German betting restrictions contravened EU law.

The ECJ said the rules for the German state betting monopolies were not 'consistent and systemic enough' to uphold the argument that restrictions served to protect the public from gambling addiction.

ESO: Background information: Free movement of services: Commission inquires into restrictions on gambling services in Germany http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-free-movement-of-services-commission-inquires-into-restrictions-on-gambling-services-in-germany/

BBC News, 15.1.08: Challenge to German gambling ban http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7189447.stm

BBC News, 8.9.10: European Court rejects German gambling restrictions http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11234128

Deutsche Welle, 8.9.10: EU court rules against German state gambling monopoly http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5983970,00.html

ECJ: Press Release, No.78, 2010: Judgment in Case C-409/06 Winner Wetten GmbH v Bürgermeisterin der Stadt Bergheim, in Joined Cases C-316/07, C-358/07 to C-360/07, C-409/07 and C-410/07 Markus Stoss and Others v Wetteraukreis, Kulpa Automatenservice Asperg GmbH and Others v Land Baden-Württemberg, and in Case C-46/08 Carmen Media Group Ltd v Land Schleswig-Holstein and Others http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2010-09/cp100078en.pdf

EUObserver, 10.9.10: Austrian gambling rules breach EU law, top court rules http://euobserver.com/9/30774

EurActiv, 10.9.10: EU court says Austrian, German gambling curbs illegal http://www.euractiv.com/sports/gambling-news-497634

Deutsche Welle, 10.9.10: Demise of gambling monopoly likely to boost sports advertising http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5991432,00.html

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