Postponement of the entering into force of executive orders on betting and online casino
On 28 September 2011 the Danish Gambling Authority sent 3 executive orders for notification at the European Commission. The notification was sent because some alterations were made in the requirements for the physical location of the gaming system and the implementation of a digital signature. A notification leads to a stand still period which means that the executive order cannot enter into force because the European Commission and the other member states should have the possibility to make remarks.
The stand still period runs out on 29 December 2011.
DanID which supplies NemID has informed the Danish Gambling Authority that the module that is used for login by players on gambling websites and clients as well as the module that is used for validation of player identification details will not be ready for operators not established in Denmark on 1 January 2012. The module for login will be ready on 1 February 2012, while the module for validation will be ready at the end of February 2012.
Because of the stand still period’s late expiration in relation to 1 January 2012 and the issue regarding NemID, the following executive orders will therefore enter into force on 1 February 2012:
- Executive order on online casino.
- Executive order on the provision of online betting.
- Executive order on land based betting.
In the meantime the provision of both online and land based betting as well as the provision of online casino will be regulated with additional terms in the licenses. The gaming operators can expect that a large amount of requirements which are found in the executive orders will also be stated in the terms of the license. This does not include the implementation of a digital signature.
Licence holders which are registered in the CVR-registry (companies established in Denmark) can choose whether or not to implement the digital signature before the executive orders enter into force.
Licence holders should be aware that the requirement for validation of registered players’ identity information must still be applied and that in the period from 1 January to 29 February 2012 they must use an alternative to the digital signature, e.g. passport and driver's licence etc.