Euromat continues to press for fair tax and regulatory treatment

The highly regulated, highly taxed sector that is the land-based gaming sector cannot accept a situation whereby its direct competitors from the online environment pay little or no tax and are either not regulated or regulated with a light touch. "The situation is untenable" said Annette Kok, President of Euromat, "and the European institutions must continue to ensure fair competition in the Internal Market".

Looking back on the past year, Euromat focused its activities on raising awareness among the EU institutions of the importance of ensuring this level playing field for all gambling activities, regardless of the method of communication or distribution used.

"With the adoption of its Green Paper consultation, the European Commission started an important debate not only for the remote gambling sector but for the gambling industry as a whole. Any initiative that follows should promote and support the proper enforcement of rules for the remote gambling sector and pave the way for an adequate and fair regulatory and taxation framework for all gambling providers if we want to guarantee proper enforcement of rules and ultimately adequate consumer protection", Annette Kok said.

Concurrently, Euromat has continued to strengthen its support and advice to members also at the national level in their efforts to tackle the many challenges, both from a regulatory and a market perspective, that threaten the commercial viability of the land-based privately-owned sector.

Indeed, although Euromat's latest "Gaming Market Data", traditionally released during its AGM, reflects that the gaming and amusement machine industry outside casinos continues to represent an important share of the overall gambling sector, markets, such as Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, have suffered a significant contraction over the past 12 months.

Accordingly, Euromat members approved a working plan that will continue to focus on engaging with Member States and the EU institutions with the main aim of creating a regulatory and enforcement regime that is coherent across Europe, especially in terms of tax treatment. Furthermore, it will continue to seek ways to better equip its members to maximize their collective ability to harness opportunity and face down threat.