WOGLR: Amsterdam Court of Appeal deems poker game of chance

By Frank Tolboom, lawyer at Kalff, Katz & Franssen

A recent decision by the Court of Appeal of Amsterdam has overturned a January 2014 District Court ruling, finding that poker is a game chance under the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act 1964. This seems somewhat controversial, particularly given previous case law on the matter. Frank Tolboom of Kalff, Katz & Franssen Attorneys at Law, analyses the decision and relevant case law, and considers the implicasions for the Dutch market.

Read more on the Kalff, Katz & Franssen website.

Dutch government reconfirms classification binary options as a financial instrument

By Frank Tolboom, lawyer at Kalff Katz & Franssen, and Joost van den Bogaerd

On 4 April 2016, the Minister of Finance (also on behalf of the State Secretary of Secretary and Justice) published its answers to parliamentary questions on the qualification of binary options as a financial instrument. MPs of the Christian Democratic Party (“CDA”)  again questioned whether binary options should not be qualified and regulated as games of chance rather than financial instruments. In its response the Minister referred to its previous answers of 30 October 2015 in which he already held that binary options are qualified as financial instruments in accordance with the European Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). As such the Netherlands Authority of Financial Markets (“AFM”) is responsible for supervision of binary options, according to the Minister of Finance. … Continue Reading

Chambers Global: Awards 2016

Quirino, Justin, Santiago and Wulf were also awarded by Chambers Global for the year 2016. Read here what is said about the four Gaminglaw.eu founders and their skills: … Continue Reading

Gaming Intelligence: German media association chief calls for leadership from the federal government

Gambling Compliance: German Liberalisation Would Quash Illegal Market, Study Says

By David Altaner & Elisa Grabbe

If Germany opened its online gambling model to allow every qualified applicant to get a licence, only 8 percent of players would patronise illegal sites, a researcher said last week.

Opening the market to all capable operators — like Denmark did — would boost tax revenues, keep
jobs in Germany, and improve protection of consumers and players, said Iris Henseler-Unger of WIKConsult, a German consulting group that examines infrastructure.

Henseler-Unger, an economist and former telecommunications regulator, was speaking last week in
Berlin at a conference sponsored by ECO, the Association of the German Internet Industry.

Read the whole article here