European Commission Nixes Across-the-Board Member Country Online Gambling Synchronicity, Mirroring States’ Rights Problems

The European Commission’s Harrie Temmink, whom told ICE the other day that EU-wide online gambling legislation would maybe not occur in his life time ‘or the next.’
The European Commission (EC) has abandoned the concept of a pan-European regulatory framework for online gambling, accepting that each member states mainly oppose synchronizing their Internet gaming regulations. The move interestingly mirrors comparable problems in the US, where states’ rights vs. federal dictates are becoming an ongoing battle in the iGaming wars.
Talking at last week’s International Casino Exhibition in London (ICE), Harrie Temmink told the industry emphatically that the EC was not focusing on sector-specific legislation in gambling.
‘The Commission is not proposing it and will maybe not propose it,’ he said. ‘Not in my life time or the following.’
Temmink leads the gambling team product and chairs the EC’s Professional Group on Gambling Services.
This can be a far cry from the EC’s previous stance. In 2011, Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier proposed A eu-wide framework devoted to protecting consumers and citizens, preventing fraudulence, and maintaining the integrity of activities.
EU Action Plan
Barnier’s view at that time was that ‘the prevailing regulatory, societal and technical [online gambling] issues in the EU’ could never be ‘tackled adequately by user states individually.’
‘This is particularly true given the cross-border measurement of on the web gambling,’ he stated in 2012, when it was established that the EC would prepare an ‘action plan’ to clarify the regulation associated with the sector and encourage cooperation between member states.
The EC frowned in the regulatory actions which had been consumed France, Italy, and Spain, which saw those markets ring-fenced and operators taxed at a rate that is high in obvious conflict with EU ideals of free motion of services between member states.
Barnier’s plan wasn’t proposing an individual licensing that is EU, but rather had the target of ensuring that member states adopted its vision for a more liberal regulatory landscape across Europe. User states that declined to play ball would be sanctioned, then in Barnier’s vision.
But Barnier left the post in 2014, and their successor, Günther Oettinger, seems less zealous about pushing the cause and more resigned to regulation that is leaving individual jurisdictions.
More Fragmented than Ever
As Temmink explained, ‘we can assure you that whenever we proposed legislation on gambling, in the 1st conference with the Council, we would have 26 out of 28 member states that will be fiercely opposed to the proposition.
‘It is suicide,’ he added.
Since Barnier outlined their plan in 2012, a wave of new legislation has spread across Europe, and many new licensing regimes have sprung up, through the British to Portugal. Europe has become even less coordinated regarding the front that is iGaming plus the fragmented regulatory landscape proves a greater challenge to operators than ever.
‘Operators need to really have a license for the country that is specific which they provide games, without having to be able to count on the recognition of licenses between one European country and another,’ said Temmink. ‘For their part is for the Member States to make sure a non-discriminatory system of issuing licenses.’
Nevada Voters Courted by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, Democratic Caucus Will Likely Be Key
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are focused on reaching as many Nevada voters as you possibly can before the Silver State caucuses on Feb. 23rd in what’s shaping up to be always a make-or-break point in the campaign that is democratic. (Image: Jim Young/Reuters)
Nevada voters are the focal point for both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders’ campaigns right now, as the two Democratic presidential nominees try to persuade as numerous last-minute voters to vote for them before this week’s February 23rd caucus.
The Silver State had long been thought to be her roadblock to stop any Bernie Sanders momentum after Clinton’s narrow victory in Iowa, followed by a hefty defeat in New Hampshire. She once held a nearly 50-point lead over her challengers, but Sanders’ grassroots movement has severely tightened the race, with numerous analysts now believing Nevada is up for grabs.
Clinton and Sanders each spent the weekend making stops around the state. Sanders campaigned in Reno on Saturday, then Las Vegas on Sunday, while their opponent met with voters in several locations around the gaming mecca throughout the weekend.
The two Democrats concluded the weekend on Sunday at the Victory Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas, a congregation largely made up of African-Americans.
‘If we can win here in Nevada, we send a profound message to the complete country, and that message is the fact that individuals of this country will not accept establishment politics,’ Sanders said during his brief remarks.
Clinton responded to Sanders with a relative line as vague as Bernie’s plan of how he will fund his utopian vision.
‘I am maybe not an issue that is single,’ Clinton said. ‘ Because whenever we had been going to quickly attain everything about banking institutions and cash and politics, would that end racism?’
Say what now?
Nevada Key State in Runoff
Whenever Sanders officially announced their decision to perform for the presidency in May, the so-called ‘Clinton machine’ was currently going to work in Nevada. Volunteers were making hundreds of daily calls, going door-to-door, and obtaining endorsements from key state and local leaders.
The Vermont senator didn’t have much of a chance, at least according to political pundits.
Fast-forward nine months, and Clinton just canceled an occasion in Florida this to stay the course in Nevada and shake every hand, ascend each stage, and grasp every microphone she can before Nevadans head to caucus on Saturday week.
Nevada has a long history of being fully a swing state in the general presidential election, and its constituents have actually a nearly perfect record of voting for the ultimate winner. Since 1912, Nevada has correctly selected the next president, except for in 1976, when Nevada visited Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter.
A win in Nevada for Clinton will be expected, while a win for Sanders pull off exactly what would perhaps end up being the biggest political upset in modern history.
Neck-in-Neck to the Finish
Nevada houses the gambling epicenter of the United States, so perhaps it’s appropriate there is little statistical evidence to operate on in determining which candidate will win on Saturday.
The stark reality is that gambling on Clinton or Sanders is equivalent to wagering on red or black. Probably the most poll that is recent TargetPoint, initial governmental information on the competition since late December, has Clinton and Sanders tied 45-45.
Scalia Death Further Stirs the Pot
Including towards the intensity of it all, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away on Saturday in Texas of apparent causes that are natural the chronilogical age of 79. Appointed towards the work bench by President Reagan in 1986, the consistently conservative judge’s death leaves a vacancy on the highest court that is already causing more political divide between Republicans and Democrats.
A bunch of names have previously been tossed around, including Nevada that is current Governor Sandoval (R). Though Sandoval’s GOP label might make him appear unlikely for the Obama recommendation, his pro-choice and pro-immigration views could make the first Silver State governor of Hispanic history a welcomed compromise to both conservative and liberal congressional leaders.
Nevada Gaming Regulator Michonne Ascuaga Resigns Over Alleged Sparks Nugget Improprieties
Michonne Ascuaga, who has resigned from the Nevada Gaming Commission in the wake of the news that a home she previously managed with her family members, the Sparks Nugget in northern Nevada, is being examined for lax anti-money laundering controls. (Image: ktvn.com)
Michonne Ascuaga has resigned from her post on the Nevada Gaming Commission, following the revelation of alleged improprieties that are financial the Sparks Nugget, the casino in northern Nevada that she handled for 16 years.
The Nugget will be examined by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) over allegations so it did not comply with financial laws during Ascuaga’s tenure, and neglected to establish an effective anti-money program that is laundering.
The investigation stumbled on light in a court filing last week, as element of a longstanding contractual lawsuit brought by the Ascuaga family members up against the casino’s new owners, Wolfhound Holdings, the private investment team that bought the property in 2013.
Sandoval Unaware of Investigation
April a spokeswoman for Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said that Sandoval was unaware of the investigation when he appointed Ascuaga to the Gaming Commission panel last.
‘Michonne Ascuaga has served the Nevada Gaming Commission well,’ published Brian Sandoval in accepting the resignation. ‘I admire her and wish to recognize her family members’ long history as leaders within the video gaming industry.
‘I appreciate he added that she has put the credibility and reputation of the Gaming Commission first. ‘Michonne is a consummate professional and will continue to be a frontrunner in our community.’
Ascuaga has claimed in a official statement that she ‘did not purposely hold back information from the governor.’
‘The Sparks Nugget had been informed in November 2013 by the Department of Treasury that the Department had been investigating she added whether it was appropriate to impose civil penalties for possible violations of anti-money laundering regulations. ‘The matter arose from an audit-type assessment conducted by the IRS during the casino this year. This is all disclosed immediately to your buyer.’
Ascuaga Lawsuit
Its alleged that the Nugget is being investigated for laxity in its record-keeping and reporting requirements. By legislation, all businesses must file a Currency Transaction Report on all https://casinopokies777.com/casino-888/ deals over $10,000, and report any activity that is suspicious FinCEN, as an easy method of guarding against money-laundering.
Ascuaga may be the daughter of John L. Ascuaga, the son of the Basque shepherd who owned the Nugget for over 50 years before its sale to Wolfhound. The Ascuaga household believes it is still owed $500,000 under the sale and purchase agreement of the Nugget.
Ascuaga said she was resigning ‘out of deep respect for the Nevada Gaming Commission also to not allow myself to become an unnecessary distraction from the crucial regulatory oversight work it does.’
