A congressional motion passed last December obliges the Spanish Government to draw up new national regulations covering online gambling, but in line with existing Spanish laws in a range of key areas. Xavier Muñoz of Legal Link looks at how Spain’s rigorous data protection legislation may be applied to internet gambling operators hoping to legitimize their presence in the Spanish market.

Software providers speaking at last week’s Canadian Gaming Summit in Montreal demonstrated how biometric recognition systems can be incorporated into terrestrial gaming operations in order to tackle issues relating to cheating, money laundering and self-exclusion agreements. But whilst biometrics are already being used in casino security programs in four Canadian provinces, the software has thrown up some compliance concerns regarding privacy laws.

Gaming firms are likely to be faced with stricter responsibilities on data protection, with tougher sanctions in the case of breaches, as new laws are introduced across Europe in the near future, leading lawyers have warned.

Swedish horseracing operator ATG has announced its intention to sue betting operator Unibet over the misappropriation of content from an ATG database. However, a series of ECJ precedents suggests that sports databases containing information on horse races or sports fixtures are unlikely to be protected under EC law.

New legislation due to come into force in January 2009 means that Estonia is on the verge of completing a much anticipated modernisation of its gambling regulatory regime. The new law, notified to the European Commission last week, radically increases the capital and machine capacity requirements of existing operators, whilst remote gambling is also to be regulated for the first time. This exclusive analysis summarises the key provisions of the draft law, and provides a sneak preview of what Estonia’s new gambling regime will look like.

Police and data watchdogs in the UK have launched an investigation after thousands of bookmaker customer records were offered for sale to a newspaper.

While the gambling industry is highly regulated it is also vulnerable to criminal and socially unacceptable behaviour. A high spending customer base makes it highly valued by marketing organizations, but it also attracts the attention of public and private bodies anxious to identify potentially addictive behaviour, creating unusual data management dilemmas for the industry.

Malta, has an advanced legal framework and regulatory environment which is changing fast to keep up with current developments and to give effect to European legislation, evidenced most recently with changes to its money laundering regulations.

Slovenia's HIT Group has recently faced opposition to cost cutting measures implemented following a drop in gaming revenues. Also facing difficulties is the country's sole machine manufacturer ICIT.

While Estonia's first online gambling licence has been awarded this year, terrestrial developments have seen further guidance published on the registration of gaming machines.