European Commission has no intention to regulate online gambling

The Register reports that the European Parliament declined participation in community-wide regulation of online gambling noting that such kind of issues should be settled by each European country on an individual level. While admitting that online gambling: "is easier to access than traditional gambling, increases the risk of fraud, crime, gambling addiction, dangers to children and threats to the integrity of sports events," the Parliament said that business regulation is the responsibility of the national governments.

Yet, the European legislative body is ready to consider more universal aspects such as age limits, protection of children and problem gamblers and also sees the need to regulate gambling advertising.

Meantime, European regulators are also looking at the US which banned foreign companies from offering US citizens online gambling services in breach of the trade agreements and threatened to bring the case to the World Trade Organization. The US agreed to pay compensation for this breach of international free trade rules.