In response to a 2.25 million euros charge incurred as a result of its failed attempt to obtain a Turkish sports betting license in mid-2007, bwin confirmed that it has filed charges with the Austrian authorities for alleged fraud against the consultants responsible for obtaining the license. In seeking its Turkish sports betting license, bwin took advice from the firm of Bachler & Partners.

President of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Michel Platini, said this week the European union is to bolster the efforts of European football’s governing body to crackdown on betting in football. “We are going to reinforce our activities regarding betting and bolster our inspectors,” said Platini in an interview with French newspaper Dauphine Libere.

Last week the Nevada Gaming Commission decided to remove the ban on communications equipment, including cell phones, in sportsbooks. Improving technology made the rule harder and harder to enforce, while also making the necessity for the rule largely obsolete. Since the advent of cell phones, casinos have levied rules against their use inside the sports books.

Ladbrokes is preparing to expand into India should sports betting be made legal, potentially opening up a huge untapped marketplace, Director John O’Reilly told Reuters in an interview this week. Although sports betting is officially illegal in India, matches in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament reportedly attract around USD 2 billion in illegal betting.

The Administrative Court of Berlin (Verwaltungsgericht Berlin) had already voiced fundamental doubts regarding the constitutionality of the Interstate Treaty on Gambling in several summary proceedings during the last months and has thus granted relief from judicial execution to the sports betting agents involved (cf. German Gaming Law updated No. 102). The Administrative Court of Berlin has now repealed a prohibition order issued by the State Office for Citizens’ and Police Affairs (Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten), holding it to be unlawful (decision of 7 July 2008, file no. VG 35 A 167.08).

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has recently held that commissions paid to a sports betting agent is not exempt from VAT (order of 14 May 2008, Joined Cases C-231/07 and C-232/07). The Brussels Court of Appeal (Cour d’appel Bruxelles) had asked the ECJ for clarification as to whether an exemption pursuant to Art. 13 part B letter d no. 3 of the Sixth Council Directive 77/388/EEC should be considered, according to which the supply of certain financial services relating to turnovers resulting from the transfer of bets are exempt from VAT.

In four judgments rendered in main proceedings, the 1st chamber of the Administrative Court of Freiburg (Verwaltungsgericht Freiburg) just recently declared the state sports betting monopoly to be in breach of Community law and revoked prohibition orders issued by the Regional Council of Karlsruhe (decisions of 16 April 2008, file-no. K 2683/07, 1 K 2063/06, 1 K 2066/06 and 1 K 2052/06). The 3rd chamber of the Administrative Court of Freiburg has now joined this legal opinion in summary proceedings.

New York (AP) -- Disgraced ex-NBA official Tim Donaghy admitted that he'd brought shame on his profession Tuesday as a federal judge sentenced him to 15 months behind bars for a gambling scandal that still has the league on the defensive. U.S. District Judge Carol Amon sentenced Donaghy to prison time plus three years of supervised release, saying he'd let the sport down by taking thousands of dollars from a professional gambler...

In addition to the Dutch reference to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands in the case of Ladbrokes (cf. German Gaming Law updated no. 106), the Raad van State, in its capacity as the highest administrative court of the Netherlands, has referred a case to Luxembourg (decision of 14 May 2008, file-no. 200700622/1). This reference has been filed with the ECJ as Case C-203/08. The referral is based on administrative proceedings between the world’s largest betting exchange Betfair (Sporting Exchange Ltd.) and the Dutch Minister of Justice.

The Administrative Court of Berlin (Verwaltungsgericht Berlin) has once again expressed fundamental constitutional objections against the Interstate Treaty on Gambling (Glücksspiel-Staatsvertrag) and thus granted relief from judicial execution to a sports betting agent (decision of 5 May 2008, case-no. VG 35 A 108.08). The agent, represented by ARENDTS ANWÄLTE (www.gaminglaw.de), may thus continue to transfer sports bets to a private bookmaker, state licensed in Malta, an EU member state.

The Spanish state would stop collecting 650 million euros a year due to the lack of regulation in online games, according to the Spanish Association of Internet Bettors (AEDAPI), named by Regulatory Affairs director of bwin group, Karin Klein, in Gaming Executive Summit 2008, a congress held in Madrid on July 9-10. In the event, one of the main international platforms of debate of the gambling sector, both for operators and regulators...

Turkish Privatisation Agency will hold an auction for a license to run sports-betting games in the country on August 12. Turkish media conglomerate Dogan Yayin and Italian gaming operator Lottomatica have formed a joint venture to bid for the license, sources said. Greek gaming operator Intralot, which currently runs sport betting in the country in a joint venture with local Turkcell, will also participate in the tender.