A “reasoned decision” was released by the European Union (EU) against France and Sweden. Both countries insisted on removing state-run gambling operations that discriminate against privately-owned and Internet-based companies based in other EU countries. Unibet’s cycling team sponsorship is also in question. "In the French situation, on the basis of the national legislation under inquiry, criminal sanctions have been threatened or imposed on the chief executives of sport betting companies licensed in other Member States. The legislation in question has also impacted sponsorship agreements in football, and more recently has resulted in a ban on participation in races by a cycling team".
An official EU statement said, "The European Commission has taken action to put an end to obstacles to the free movement of sports betting services in France, Greece and Sweden. The Commission has formally requested France and Sweden to amend their laws[...]. These formal requests take the form of 'reasoned opinions', the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice".
The EU also commented, "In the Commission's view, existing national operators cannot be regarded as non-profit operations, given that they are subject to strict annual revenue targets and often rely on commercial retail outlets to market their various gambling services."
Italy and Austia have agreed with the EU’s directives. France and Sweden are still under the EU’s process of investigation.
An official EU statement said, "The European Commission has taken action to put an end to obstacles to the free movement of sports betting services in France, Greece and Sweden. The Commission has formally requested France and Sweden to amend their laws[...]. These formal requests take the form of 'reasoned opinions', the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice".
The EU also commented, "In the Commission's view, existing national operators cannot be regarded as non-profit operations, given that they are subject to strict annual revenue targets and often rely on commercial retail outlets to market their various gambling services."
Italy and Austia have agreed with the EU’s directives. France and Sweden are still under the EU’s process of investigation.
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