The European Commission’s Harrie Temmink, who told ICE last week that EU-wide online gambling legislation would maybe not occur in his lifetime ‘or the next.’
The European Commission (EC) has abandoned the idea of a pan-European regulatory framework for online gambling, accepting that each member states largely oppose synchronizing their Internet gaming regulations. The move interestingly mirrors comparable problems in the US, where states’ rights vs. federal dictates are becoming a battle that is ongoing the iGaming wars.
Talking at last week’s International Casino Exhibition in London (ICE), Harrie Temmink told the industry emphatically that the EC was not working on sector-specific legislation in gambling.
‘The Commission is not proposing it and will maybe not propose it,’ he said. ‘Not in my life time or the next.’
Temmink leads the gambling team product and chairs the EC’s Expert Group on Gambling Services.
This may be a far cry from the EC’s previous stance. In 2011, Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier proposed a framework that is eu-wide to protecting consumers and citizens, preventing fraudulence, and maintaining the integrity of activities.
EU Action Plan
Barnier’s view at that time was that ‘the prevailing regulatory, societal and[online that is technical] issues in the EU’ could not be ‘tackled adequately by member states individually.’
‘This is especially true given the cross-border measurement of on line gambling,’ he said in 2012, when it had been established that the EC would prepare an ‘action plan’ to clarify the regulation regarding the sector and encourage cooperation between member states.
The EC frowned on the regulatory actions that had been drawn in France, Italy, and Spain, which saw those markets ring-fenced and operators taxed at a high rate, in apparent conflict with EU ideals of free movement of services between member states.
Barnier’s plan wasn’t proposing a single licensing that is EU, but instead had the target of ensuring that member states adopted its vision for a far more liberal regulatory landscape across Europe. User states that declined to play ball would be sanctioned, then in Barnier’s vision.
But Barnier left the post in 2014, and his successor, Günther Oettinger, seems less zealous about pushing the cause and more resigned to regulation that is leaving specific jurisdictions.
More Fragmented than Ever
As Temmink explained, ‘I can assure you that if we proposed legislation on gambling, in the first conference with the Council, we would have 26 out of 28 member states that would be fiercely opposed to the proposal.
‘It could be suicide,’ he added.
Since Barnier outlined their plan in 2012, a wave of new regulation has spread across Europe, and numerous new licensing regimes have sprung up, from the British to Portugal. Europe has become even less coordinated on the iGaming front, plus the fragmented regulatory landscape proves a greater challenge to operators than ever.
‘Operators need to really have a license for the country that is specific that they offer games, without having to be able to count on the recognition of licenses between one European country and another,’ said Temmink. ‘For their part is for the Member States to make certain a system that is non-discriminatory of licenses.’
Nevada Voters Courted by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, Democratic Caucus Is Key
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are focused on reaching as many Nevada voters https://casinopokies777.com/casino-888/ as you possibly can prior to the Silver State caucuses on Feb. 23rd in what’s shaping up to be a make-or-break point within the campaign that is democratic. (Image: Jim Young/Reuters)
Nevada voters are the focus for both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders’ campaigns appropriate now, as the two Democratic presidential nominees try to persuade as many last-minute voters to vote for them before this week’s February caucus that is 23rd.
After Clinton’s narrow victory in Iowa, accompanied by a hefty defeat in New Hampshire, the Silver State had long been thought to be her roadblock to stop any Bernie Sanders momentum. She once held a lead that is nearly 50-point her challengers, but Sanders’ grassroots movement has severely tightened the race, with numerous analysts now believing Nevada is up for grabs.
Clinton and Sanders each spent the week-end making stops around the state. Sanders campaigned in Reno on Saturday, then Las Vegas on Sunday, while his opponent met with voters in many locations across the gaming mecca throughout the weekend.
The two Democrats concluded the weekend on Sunday at the Victory Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas, a congregation largely made up of African-Americans.
‘we send a profound message to the entire country, and that message is that the people of this country will no longer accept establishment politics,’ Sanders said during his brief remarks if we can win here in Nevada.
Clinton responded to Sanders with a relative line as vague as Bernie’s plan of just how he will fund his utopian vision.
‘I am maybe not an issue that is single,’ Clinton said. ‘ Because if we were going to achieve everything about banks and money and politics, would that final end racism?’
Say what now?
Nevada Key State in Runoff
When Sanders officially announced their decision to operate for the presidency in May, the so-called ‘Clinton machine’ was currently planning to work in Nevada. Volunteers were making hundreds of daily calls, going door-to-door, and obtaining endorsements from key state and local leaders.
The Vermont senator didn’t have much of a possibility, at least according to pundits that are political.
Fast-forward nine months, and Clinton just canceled an occasion in Florida this week to stay the course in Nevada and shake every hand, ascend each phase, and grasp every microphone she can before Nevadans head to caucus on Saturday.
Nevada has a long history of being fully a swing state within the general presidential election, and its constituents have a nearly perfect record of voting for the winner that is eventual. Since 1912, Nevada has correctly picked the president that is next except for in 1976, whenever Nevada went to Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter.
A win in Nevada for Clinton could be expected, while a victory for Sanders pull down what would perhaps function as the biggest political upset in modern history.
Neck-in-Neck towards the Finish
Nevada hosts the gambling epicenter of the United States, therefore possibly it’s appropriate that there’s little statistical evidence to operate on in determining which candidate will win on Saturday.
The stark reality is that betting on Clinton or Sanders is equivalent to wagering on black or red. The absolute most poll that is recent TargetPoint, the initial political information on the battle since late December, has Clinton and Sanders tied 45-45.
Scalia Death Further Stirs the Pot
Incorporating to the intensity of it all, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away on Saturday in Texas of apparent causes that are natural the chronilogical age of 79. Appointed to your work bench by President Reagan in 1986, the consistently conservative judge’s death leaves a vacancy on the highest court that is already causing more governmental divide between Republicans and Democrats.
A bunch of names have been tossed around, including current Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval (R). A welcomed compromise to both conservative and liberal congressional leaders though Sandoval’s GOP label might make him seem unlikely for an Obama endorsement, his pro-choice and pro-immigration views could make the first Silver State governor of Hispanic heritage.
Nevada Gaming Regulator Michonne Ascuaga Resigns Over Alleged Sparks Nugget Improprieties
Michonne Ascuaga, who may have resigned from the Nevada Gaming Commission in the wake of the news that a property she formerly managed with her family members, the Sparks Nugget in northern Nevada, is being examined for lax anti-money laundering controls. (Image: ktvn.com)
Michonne Ascuaga has resigned from her post in the Nevada Gaming Commission, following the revelation of so-called financial improprieties at the Sparks Nugget, the casino in northern Nevada that she managed for 16 years.
The Nugget has been investigated by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) over allegations it failed to comply with financial regulations during Ascuaga’s tenure, and neglected to ascertain an effective anti-money laundering program.
The investigation came to light in a court filing week that is last as element of a longstanding contractual lawsuit brought by the Ascuaga household contrary to the casino’s new owners, Wolfhound Holdings, the private investment team that bought the home in 2013.
Sandoval Unaware of Investigation
April a spokeswoman for Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said that Sandoval was unaware of the investigation when he appointed Ascuaga to the Gaming Commission panel last.
‘Michonne Ascuaga has served the Nevada Gaming Commission well,’ wrote Brian Sandoval in accepting the resignation. ‘I admire her and wish to recognize her family members’ long history as leaders into the gaming industry.
‘I appreciate he added that she has put the credibility and reputation of the Gaming Commission first. ‘Michonne is a consummate professional and will still be a leader in our community.’
Ascuaga has claimed within an statement that is official she ‘did not purposely hold back information from the governor.’
‘The Sparks Nugget was informed in November 2013 by the Department of Treasury that the Department was investigating she added whether it was appropriate to impose civil penalties for possible violations of anti-money laundering regulations. ‘The matter arose from an examination that is audit-type by the IRS during the casino this season. It was all disclosed immediately to your buyer.’
Ascuaga Lawsuit
It is alleged that the Nugget is being investigated for laxity in its record-keeping and reporting requirements. By legislation, all businesses must file a Currency Transaction Report on all deals over $10,000, and report any activity that is suspicious FinCEN, as an easy method of guarding against money-laundering.
Ascuaga may be the daughter of John L. Ascuaga, the son of a Basque shepherd who owned the Nugget for over 50 years before its sale to Wolfhound. The Ascuaga family members believes it’s still owed $500,000 beneath the purchase and sale agreement of the Nugget.
Ascuaga said she was resigning ‘out of deep respect for the Nevada Gaming Commission also to not allow myself to become a distraction that is unnecessary the crucial regulatory oversight work it does.’