Following news of Brussels' decision to take legal action against France, Greece and Sweden over gambling market restrictions, the European Commission (EC) has said it will not pursue legislation harmonizing gambling rules across the European Union.
While this legislation would theoretically solve the problem of restricted competition, EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy told Reuters that such a bill would never garner the necessary support to be adopted.
Furthermore, Oliver Drews, a spokesman for the European Commission (EC), stated during a regular briefing this week that Brussels had no plans to introduce a harmonization bill.
The EC has initiated proceedings against several EU states, using a number of European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings to begin cracking down on national restrictions to competitors.