by Anton Johan
Last week, the European Commission published a Green Paper on internet gambling which has been described as a "good start" to the development of safe and secure betting.
However, while politicians in the UK and Europe were enthusiastic about the new document which is set to create a framework for online gambling among member states, gambling groups were less so, and had comments to make about the Green Paper.
ESSA, the European Sports Security Association said that while the document was a "solid step" to building a strong online gambling market in Europe, it had some reservations about clauses in the document.
For example, ESSA pointed out that the European Commission was still insistent that sports events where betting takes place were subject to a higher risk of match fixing.
"Match fixing is an unfortunate and unwanted problem in sport, but there is no evidence that offering odds on a match places it at a higher risk of match fixing," said a spokesman for ESSA.
"Indeed, sporting contests are manipulated often for purely competitive reasons, such as to secure promotion or prize money."
The spokesman went on to point out that bookmakers suffer financially from match fixing, which is why Europe's licensed, regulated bookmakers have invested in security technology and initiatives such as ESSA.
"This investment has reached a point, where, today, licensed, regulated operators in Europe are very rarely defrauded as a result of match fixing," he said.
The Remote Gaming Association said that it welcomed the Green Paper and was looking forward to participating in consultation over the document and any decisions that come out of it.
UK Tory MEP, Malcolm Harbour, added that we should "create a viable online gambling industry in the EU that is regulated well and regulated consistently as possible across the single market."
