Good news, bad news from the internet gambling world

•  Dateline: Norway. A bill that makes it illegal for Norway-based financial institutions to accept payment transactions from/to online casinos not licensed in Norway became law earlier this week when it received “royal assent.” The Storting (a.k.a. the Norwegian Parliament) had passed the bill last month.

Quite strigent in its wording, processing a payment from/to an online gambling operator would now make the charge one of being an accessory to a crime. The bill will officially go into effect on June 1, the exact same day the recently-delayed Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is scheduled to go into full effect in the U.S. 

According to Wikipedia, the prerogative of withholding royal assent “has not been used by a Norwegian king since the personal union with Sweden was ended in 1905, though it was used by union (Swedish) kings when they ruled Norway.”

•  Dateline: Luxembourg. In a case originally involving newspaper advertising, the European Court of Justice advocate general ruled that “Swedish legislation prohibiting the promotion of gambling over the internet by companies established in other Member States complies with Community law.”

The accused pair of editors-in-chief/publishers had run adverts for Malta- and UK-basedsportsbook websites on the sportspages of their Swedish newspapers; said sites had not been approved for Sweden’s citizens. In light of this, the EU decision declared in part that “the prohibition on promoting internet gaming offered by companies established in other Member States can be regarded as justified by the objective of the fight against fraud and criminality.”

On the same day, the EU legal folks decided that the government of Austria was in the wrong when denying the right of organizing/operating a gambling website in Austria as a German citizen. Stated this decision, in part: “Austrian legislation which reserves the operation of games of chance in gaming establishments exclusively to limited companies which have their seat in Austrian territory is incompatible with freedom of establishment.”

•  Dateline: Missouri. In Kansas City, brothers Michael C. and Anthony V. Sansone pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conducting an illegal online gambling business. The Sansone had provided a toll-free number and website with which U.S. citizens could wager on sports. Though the operation was based within the United States, much of the computer hardware required for the operation was located in a server in Costa Rica.

Earlier this month, Charles J. Simone and Michael V. Badalucco also pleaded guilty to similar charges as part of the operation, which was busted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

The Sansones each face up to two years in federal prison plus a fine of $250,000.