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The European Union told Italy the same thing they have told several other European countries: They are not allowed to discriminate against overseas online gambling operators. The ruling by the European Court of Justice is in keeping with previous rulings on the subject when other nations have drawn the ire of the industry and the EU.

In the ruling, the European Court of Justice stated that it is a violation of EU law for member nations to pass legislation that protects the local market by discriminating against foreign operators. Many countries, most recently Italy, have done so in the name of protecting the players or preventing fraud. The Court recently clarified that it is not an acceptable excuse. All online casinos located in or regulated by other EU member states have to be afforded the same access as those within Italy (or whatever country we’re talking about at the time).

According to Yahoo News, the European Court of Justice said that because of the discrimination, the local operators have been given an unlawful and unfair competitive advantage. Such unfairness in the competition is not beneficial to the industry or to consumers. Italian regulators are disappointed with the ruling and will have to change their policies. With a more level playing field, there should be more competition and more options for players. More options is always a good thing. To find some of the best in the industry, read up on online casino reviews and check into the names that we recommend – casinos that are tightly regulated, licensed, and have respected software.

You may remember the warning that the FTC gave about online gambling back in 2002. If not, here is the FTC warning. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission conducted a study of the online gambling industry and came to the conclusion that it is unsafe because there isn’t adequate protection against underage gambling. So how does this 2002 report stand up today?

In 2002, the FTC said that many online gambling sites didn’t have any warnings about underage gambling and those that did often didn’t feature them prominently. That is still the case. I think many online casinos assume that because their software is designed to prevent minors from gambling, and because everyone seems to know that underage gambling is illegal, it’s not necessary to advertise it. That may not be true, but it seems to be a common belief within the industry.

The truth is that online casinos have software that verifies the age of those who attempt to join and log into the site. Is it perfect? Of course not, but neither is the security barrier to buying cigarettes or alcohol, which is a bored and disinterested worker making minimum wage.

The point is that all security systems can be beaten. Underage gamblers manage to spend money at brick and mortar casinos, but trying to shut them down because of it is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It’s best to work on solutions and find the best ways to minimize underage gambling. The same goes for those playing online. For a list of the safest online casinos, check out http://internetcasinogamblingonline.net.