One of the heads of the European Commission recently expressed concern over gambling laws implemented by some European Union nations and, in what may come as a shock, her concern was that they were too restrictive. Answering a parliamentary question last week, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Elżbieta Bieńkowska said that the requirement of some countries that online gambling operators have a physical office in the country merits discussion.

The question was posed by European Parliament member David Casa of Malta on June 9th, 2015:

In a particular national gambling law that has been notified to the Commission it is being suggested that a remote gaming licence may only be provided to operators that have a land-based presence or intend to do so within a particular time-frame following the obtaining of such licence.

Can the Commission comment on the compatibility of this provision with the fundamental freedoms?

It took three months (she likely has a lot on her plate), but Elżbieta Bieńkowska finally responded…

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