Bwin.Party co-CEO Questioned By Authorities in Belgium
November 23, 2012
During the Responsible Gaming Day Conference, bwin.Party co-CEO, Nobert Teufelberger, was detained by Belgium authorities for an interlude of questioning due to bwin.Party’s sustained presence in the country without acquiring the necessary licenses.
Following the incident, bwin.Party issued a statement stating that Teufelberger complied fully, and voluntarily, following the request from the authorities, which occurred as a result of Belgium Gambling Commission’s (BGC) position that bwin.Party violated the country’s gambling legislation. The interview following the detainment lasted two hours, after which the company stated that it would continue working with the authorities in attempt to resolve the matter.
According to Reuters, the questioning arose from the fact that bwin.Party was listed as one of the websites that was not supposed to accept real-money bets. Earlier on in the year, Belgium published its blacklist of banned sites, and 2012 saw strict laws introduced to regulate the gambling scene in the country, with bwin.Party biggest competitor, PokerStars, acquiring a license. The detainment of bwin.Party co-CEO is the most recent installment of bwin.Party’s continued tussles with Belgian authorities. In the month of May, bwin.Party was added to the blacklisted sites, pertaining to companies that did not have necessary paperwork required to run in the country.
It is not only the companies that were affected by the latest onslaught of legislations in the Belgium gambling scene. Belgium citizens who continue to gamble on unlicensed sites stand to be fined €25, 000. Following its blacklisting, bwin.Party switched from the bwin.com domain to www2.bwin.com in a rather blatant and peculiar attempt to evade the legislature and authorities.
The detainment of the co-CEO of the company is however proof such strategies would not subdue the long arm of the Belgium law. In fact, the move boomeranged on the company when a court saw it fit to fine them €75,000 for their deception and endeavor to circumvent the law. The recent predicament might have implied effects on bwin.Party’s latest interests in the state of Nevada where it hopes to gain an operations license.
Comments
| Best Poker Bonus at 888 Poker 100% up to $600/£400/€400 sign up bonus plus £5/$8/€6 FREE to new players(No USA Players) . |
Latest Headlines
- Record Breaking Year for the WSOP
- The Big One for One Drop: Daniel Vs. Daniel
- Andrew Rennhack Takes a Bracelet
- Another First-Time Bracelet Winner Makes a Mark
- Dominik Nitsche Wins Third WSOP Bracelet
- Kilpatrick Kills a Table Stacked with Experience
- First-Timer George Danzer Wins the 18th 2014 WSOP Bracelet
- JC Tran’s BFF Wins First WSOP Bracelet
- Poker Dreams Really Do Come True
- Participation at WSOP Seniors Event Trumps Last Year’s Turn Out