Bwin.party Granted Belgian Gambling License
Online gambling operator bwin.party has been removed from Belgium’s online gaming blacklist and granted an A+ gaming license.
After months of legal fighting, bwin.party has been granted an A+ gambling license in Belgian.
In order to obtain the license bwin had to partner with Casino Kursaal Oostende, a land casino in Ostend. The license has been granted just three months after bwin announced that it had solved its dispute with the Belgian gaming regulator.
Now Belgian gamblers can play at bwin.be and access bwin’s global player pool.
While the Belgian regulators impose an 11% gambling tax, there is no restriction on games offered or deposit sizes.
In November last year Norbert Teufelberger, bwin.party’s co-CEO, was detained by Belgian police while attending the Responsible Gaming Day conference.
Before that the company had been fined €75,000 by the Belgian Correctional Court for providing online gambling without a license.
In response bwin has filed a complaint with the European Commission that Belgian regulations breach EU law. The Commission has told Belgium to respond as the requirement to partner with a Belgian B&M casino seems to be a restriction of trade under the EU Treaties.
However, as bwin has now been granted a license it is expected that the legal fighting will be put on hold.
