Cyprus – online gambling breather

The government of Cyprus, which had hoped to introduce a ban on internet gambling on the Mediterranean island before 2010 ended, has had to push back its plans by three months following delays in the bureaucratic machinery of the European Commission and its feedback from member states and the EU executive.
Reporting on the hiatus, the Reuters news agency quoted a finance ministry spokesman as recalling that the island government sent its proposed legislation to the European Commission for approval, hoping for its imprimtaur before the year ended.
However, it has now been advised that feedback from the EU executive and member states will not be ready until March 2011, rather than mid-December.
The Communist-led government wants to retain online sports betting but ban all other forms of internet gambling on grounds that it seeks to protect its citizens from harm.  It has used the European Court of Justice decision for Portugal as a model for its attempt to be exempted from EU principles.

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