Sweden Becomes the First Gaming Jurisdiction to be Taken to Court by the EU Commission Sweden Becomes the First Gaming Jurisdiction to be Taken to Court by the EU Commission
Guillaume Speurt, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
Key Takeaways
  • The EU Commission has launched legal action in the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against Sweden.
  • This is the first time the Commission has launched a case against a member state over its national gambling laws. In fact, two cases have been presented, one over sports betting, and the second specifically about online poker.
  • The launch of these cases against Sweden will somehow fit into the EU Commission’s policy objectives—as “guardian of the treaties” the EU Commission appears to be taking a stand against the encroachment of national gambling laws on the EU Treaty’s free trade provisions.

In November 2013, the EU Commission gave Sweden two months to respond to questions about its gambling laws otherwise the Commission would launch a case in the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)—eleven months later, the EU Commission has done just that.

This is the first time the Commission has launched a case against a member state over its national gambling laws. In fact, two cases have been presented: one over sports betting, and the second specifically about online poker.

“The Commission is of the opinion that the exclusive right holder is not subject to adequate control by the Swedish authorities and that the restrictive policy in the area of poker games is not consistent as the Swedish authorities tolerate the unauthorised offer and promotion of poker games,” states the Commision in a press release.