The European Commission said it was studying existing rules on gambling over the Internet, but has not yet decided whether common legislation is needed.
“In its current examination of the framework for electronic commerce, the
commission . . . is considering the issue of the regulation of such online
services,” European Internal Market Commissioner Mario Monti said, according
to a Reuters report.
“Since the commission has not yet completed its analysis of the existing
regulatory situation, it is not possible at this stage to indicate whether
(it) will make regulatory proposals in this area and what would be their scope and content,” Monti added.
The commission’s statement coincided with, but was not related to, a vote in
the U.S. Senate on Thursday to knock gambling off the Internet by extending
existing legislation banning telephone gambling.
Monti made his comments in a written answer, dated July 13, to a question on
Internet gambling by John Cushnahan, a member of the European Parliament.
Monti added that the last time the commission looked at gambling in relation
to the internal market in 1991 it found no need for EU-wide regulation.