The European Court of Justice has issued opinions covering the cross border provision of gaming services establishing, in the Placanica case, that national licensing procedures cannot be applied in a de facto discriminatory manner against foreign gaming operators.
Also, in the Gambelli case, the ECJ ruled that Articles 43 and 49 of the EC Treaty - covering the freedom to establish a business and the freedom to sell services across borders respectively – applied to gaming services.
In the Placanica case, the ruling emphasizes that regulation cannot be a smokescreen for discriminatory trade practices and make clear that sneaky attempts by member states to circumvent the free movement of services to protect local favorites will not be tolerated. However, national governments still have considerable latitude to determine how and when to regulate the gaming sector, provided that measures enacted were proportionate to the perceived social ills associated with gambling.
Though these rulings continue to push the EU push for equitable treatment between the member states, as many EU states have local monopolies to protect, the truth is that national governments still try to force their own laws in the gambling sector. Please have a look at right2bet.net/ and sign a petition in favor of a more integrationist single market.