Online Gambling in Denmark Opening to Foreign Operators Nears

As a result of European Commission pressure on Denmark to loosen up the monopolistic ways of state-held gaming provider Danska Spil, new Danish gambling laws go into effect on July 1. And some players are worried they won’t get any money they win before then.  

On the positive side, Denmark’s licensing systems for foreign operators of online gambling websites does not include prohibitively expensive taxation regulations that often prove unappealing to foreign business interests, as is the case in recently introduced French gambling laws.  

On the negative side, a loophole has been provided in the law to give Danska Spil a head start on establishing online poker in Denmark. Though the law goes into effect on July 1, licenses to foreign-based operators will not be issued until January 1, 2011, meaning that for six months Danska Spil poker will be the only legal game in town.  

The amount of Internet betting in Denmark is estimated at about €8.3 million annually, with a large percentage of this currently going to non-Danish website operators. 

Denmark’s gaming magazine “Ace” recently claimed that government interests will be using ISP blocking once the new law goes into effect to prevent any potential players from going to an online casino without a Danish license. 

Even more frightening for current Danish players is a rumor that the government will be making withdrawals from non-licensed sites after July 1 – even on winnings earned before the new law goes into effect. Players have been warned to keep a minimum in their accounts in essentially all non-Danska Spil casinos.