State Licensed Lotteries and Toto Companies in the Legal and Political Debate in the European Union

Abstract

European lotteries are the association that represents the state licensed lotteries and Toto companies in Europe. Presently there is an ongoing battle in the different courts around Europe. It is there where the position of state licensed lottery and Toto companies is attacked by remote gambling operators and/or bookmakers, who often deliberately infringe national law. This chapter elaborates shortly about one of those cases: the De Lotto versus Ladbrokes case. The most interesting and influential political dossier is the Proposal for a Directive on Services in the Internal Market (‘Services Directive’). The mission of the writer of the chapter is to sustain what he calls the ‘holy trinity’ with regard to the regulation of gambling, which consists of: national governments, which are in full control of their gambling policy and regulation; lottery companies; and (European) society. Keywords: European community treaty framework; European union; gambling regulation; legal debate; political debate; state licensed lotteries; Toto companies