May
8th

Betfair Takes Legal Action Against Netherlands

Following the Dutch government’s letters to local banks in February requesting the Dutch banks not to process payments from Dutch customers who wished to place a bet on any legal gaming website Betfair has started legal proceedings against the Dutch government.

The action taken by the Dutch government will block access to the services of Betfair, the two hundred and thirty nine million pound turnover British online betting company as well as many more UK licensed operators.

Mark Davies, Managing Director at Betfair says: “This is a desperate move by the Dutch government to prevent a company that is fully licensed and regulated in jurisdictions across Europe from being accessed by residents in the Netherlands”. He feels that it is unfair to the Dutch consumer and not in line with the EU principles of open and fair competition. He believes that the Dutch government has taken this move in order to protect the Dutch gaming monopoly such as Delotto as well as online gambling house Scientific Games, which has a Dutch license.

The decision by the Dutch Ministry of Justice to make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to facilitate Dutch citizens gambling on foreign gaming sites has prompted Betfair to take legal action against the government and the latest court case could result in a damages claim for millions of Euros.

Mark Davies also said that they would fight anyone who unlawfully prevents them and their customers from doing business as the government was unlawfully protecting the Dutch gaming monopoly while violating EC laws regarding the free movement of services within the EU.

Related Posts

Tags: , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply