27 Amendments of Sabine VERHEYEN related to 2012/2322(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that protecting minors from exposure to online gambling should remain a major policy objective; underlines the need to implement EU-wide standards forcalls on Member States to ensure effective age and identity verifications and to prevent underage gamblers from accessing remote gambling products; calls on them to base their efforts to do so on methods which are already working well in some Member States and to cooperate closely and in good faith where cross-border problems exist;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Rejects the establishment of an internal market in online gambling with the supply of cross-border products, and draws attention to the consistent case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU; doubts the added value of an EU directive laying down minimum standards for the protection of gamblers and young people; calls, however, for existing high standards in the Member States to be genuinely enforced, and calls on the supervisory authorities of the Member States to cooperate more intensively in law enforcement;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to include in its recommendations on responsible gambling advertising a ban on advertising for online gambling services aimed at minors, in particular on social media;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that almost 2 % of the European population suffers from gambling addiction; is concerned that easy access to online gambling websites is likely to increase this percentage, especially among young people; considers, therefore, that efficient preventive measures should be enforced, such as the implementation of strict deposit limits and that every gambling product offered by the gambling operators online is evaluated by the Member States and can be prohibited if there is a substantial threat for the consumer;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recommends that Member States set a minimum percentage of gambling revenues to be redistributed to organisations which seek to prevent, or which provide counselling on, addiction;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recommends that a clear distinction be made between gambling activities and other forms of online entertainment; services which combine distinguishing features of the gambling sector must fall under appropriate gambling legislation and fully respect age and identity verification mechanisms;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Urges operators, as a compulsory requirement, to include, on the homepage of gambling websites, a link to online information about gambling addiction and opportunities to obtain related professional assistance;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets that sport onlyin most Member States the sport sector receives only a low financial return on commercial betting activities although it constitutes the main activity area for online gambling; recommends, therefore, thebetting; asks the Commission to launch an initiative for the recognition of the property rights of sports competition organisers to be recognised, so that sports federations are ensured a fair financial return; recommends setting of a common minimum percentage of gamblsport betting revenues to be redistributed to sports federations, that have to ensure sustainable financing for grassroots sport; and solidarity between different sports;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets that sport only receives a low financial return on commercial betting activities although it constitutes the main activity area for online gambling; recommends, therefore, the setting ofat Member States set a common minimum percentage of gambling revenues to be redistributed to sports federations, that have to ensure sustainable financing for grassroots sport;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines that the fight against match-fixing and other forms of sport fraud has to be focused on law enforcement, education and prevention as well as good governance of sport bodies;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the sport federations and gambling operators to include in a Code of Conduct a ban on betting on so called negative events, such as yellow cards or penalty kicks, during a match or event;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for more cooperation at European level, under the coordination of the European Commission, to identify and prohibit online gamblbetting operators engaged in illegal activities such as, inter alia, match-fixing or betting on junior competitions involving minors;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for more cooperation at European level, under the coordination of the Commission, to identify and prohibit online gambling operators engaged in illegal activities such as match-fixing or betting on competitions predominantly involving minors;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Urges the Commission and the Member States to conclude an ambitious binding agreement with third countries in the framework of the Council of Europe in the fight against organised crime involved in match fixing to combat the manipulation of sports results; while considering the feasibility for a global body dealing with match fixing, where all relevant actors would meet, exchange information, coordinate actions;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a general ban to prevent sportspersons and organisers of sporting eventsCode of Conduct, as a part of a self-regulatory initiative, for a general ban to all staff (players, coaches, referees, medical and technical staff) of sporting events who may have a direct influence on the result from placing bets on their own matches or events;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends that cooperation and information exchange between Member States, their regulatory bodies, Europol and Eurojust be reinforced to combat criminal activities inCalls for an obligation for cooperation and exchange of information between sports bodies, public authorities, Europol and Eurojust at both national and European level, about suspicious activities to combat criminal cross-border online gambling activities.;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Rejects the establishment of an internal market in online gambling with the supply of cross-border products, and draws attention to the consistent case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU; doubts the added value of an EU directive laying down minimum standards for the protection of gamblers and young people; calls, however, for existing high standards in the Member States to be genuinely enforced, and calls on the supervisory authorities of the Member States to cooperate more intensively in law enforcement;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Rejects the establishment of an internal market in online gambling with the supply of cross-border products; draws attention to the consistent case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU, according to which organising games of chance is not a normal economic activity which Member States can restrict or prohibit, completely or in part, by means of monopolies or licensing schemes, for imperative reasons of general interest; is therefore in favour of maintaining national authorisation systems and markets, as the large amount of funding invested in popular sport and many other beneficial and charitable activities would be drastically reduced in an internal market with no EU-wide harmonisation of taxes and duties in this area;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Doubts the added value which might be provided by a directive laying down EU-wide minimum standards for the protection of gamblers and young people; considers it much more important for existing high standards in the Member States to be effectively enforced, particularly by means of improved law enforcement against operators who do not have the requisite national authorisation or fail to comply with national prohibitions on, for example, particularly dangerous kinds of gambling and games of chance; calls on the supervisory authorities of the Member States to cooperate more intensively in law enforcement;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to continue to carry out effective checks on compliance with EU law of national laws and practices, and to take legal action against gambling monopolies that do not reduce gambling opportunities or limit promotional activities for gambling in a consistent manner, in line with CJEU case-law;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Agrees with the Commission that a fair offer of gambling serviDraws attention to the consistent case- law of the Court of Justice of the EU, according to which organising games of chances is necessary for consumer protection, because in its absence consumers are more likely to turn to unreliable gambling websitesot a normal economic activity which Member States can restrict or prohibit, completely or in part, by means of monopolies or licensing schemes, for imperative reasons of general interest;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to continue to explore measures at the EU levelMember States to explore further measures to protect vulnerable consumers, – including formalised cooperation between regulators, and the introduction of an online trustmark for legal operators particular minors – at European level, ensure effective age and identity verification and prevent minors from having access to online gambling;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Recommends that the Member States set a minimum percentage of gambling revenues to be redistributed to organisations which seek to prevent, or which provide counselling on, addiction;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that the fight against match fixing requires more effective cooperation between public authorities, law enforcement agencies, the sport industry, gambling operators and gambling regulators, in view of the transnational nature of match fixing; in particular, it should be ensured that gambling operators involved in illegal activities such as match fixing or betting on competitions in which the participants are primarily minors are identified and prohibited from undertaking these activities;
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Recommends that the Member States set a common minimum percentage of gambling revenues to be redistributed to sports federations that have to ensure sustainable financing for grassroots sport which is evenly distributed between different sports;