Betfair Poker Threatens Cyprus With Legal Action

Where Cyprus seemed to be a haven for online gambling operations at one point in time, the government is now dealing harshly with operators who are situated in their country. Online poker is gambling online. Recent reports see the Government threatening to implement up to 5 years in prison and/or a €300,000 fine. This is pretty serious stuff, so Betfair Poker, and of course the Betfair parent company which runs online gambling, bingo and a sports betting exchange want to take the Cypriot Government to court. When we talk about court in this context, we refer to the European Commission courts.

Police have warned that the tenets of the newly passed gambling bill will be adhered to stringently, implemented and carried out. They have highlighted the many provisions that Parliament passed, and released statements saying as much. It makes (the law) it illegal for people to possesses or operate any devices used for the purpose of online gambling. Advertising for same gambling, which includes online poker, is also illegal, and the Government has also made it clear that criminal responsibility lies with the end user (online gambler), as well as owners and operators.

They are urging anyone and everyone involved in this industry to comply with immediate effect, or be prepared to suffer the consequences. The bill was unanimously passed on the 6th July 2012, and was not promulgated lightly. It took months of debate for its enactment, and basically provides the police with loads of firepower to enforce these new laws.

The Betfair argument according to media reports; is that this legislation is not consistent with European Union laws. They say the new Cypriot anti-gambling laws are seriously flawed, and obviously believe they deserve to be legally challenged. This all relates to a new law which was passed by the Cypriot government on 6th July 2012, which affect the way in which betting exchanges currently operate.

Betfair’s formal complaint to the European Commission states that any attempted ban on betting exchanges is a discriminatory and disproportionate breach of EU law as it may apply only to exchange providers, with all other sports betting products remaining unaffected.

If you live in Cyprus, the good news that all operations are unaffected, including Befair Poker until the complaint is heard by the commission. Stay tuned for further updates.