Tuesday, Denmark’s government took steps to deregulate the country’s gambling market, releasing plans to liberalize the sector. Officials said they will propose their plans as a bill in Danish parliament after the legislature’s members return from Summer Recess. Officials also said they already have the support of many members and expect the bill to pass.
According to the Copenhagen Post, the government’s plan could dissolve Denmark’s state-owned gambling monopoly, Danske Spil. But information the newspaper reprinted from the Jyllands-Posten said Danish officials were also considering a plan to limit Danske Spil’s market jurisdiction to lottery and scratch-and-win games.
In an interview with the Copenhagen Post Monday, Danske Spil representatives said they welcome the second plan, which would see the monopoly’s taxes reduced from their current 30 percent rate.
“It will be nice to get some clarity on the issue after so many years of uncertainty,” Danske Spil managing director H.C. Madsen told the Copenhagen Post. “We’ll also be able to offer casino gambling and poker now, which we couldn’t do before.”
The Copenhagen Post went on to report that the government’s move is in response to a European Commission lawsuit that alleges Danske Spil’s 60-year monopoly violates EU market regulations. The lawsuit came to the fore after Danish authorities denied U.K. gaming vendor Ladbrokes access to the country’s gambling market in 2004.
phill.provance@gamblingplanet.org
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