Danish gaming opening for foreign bookmakers
An increasing number of Danes are dropping the national gaming monopoly Danske Spil in favour of net-based betting, gaming and poker. As a result, the government is proposing a liberalisation of the Danish gaming rules to give foreign bookmakers access to compete with Danske Spil, according to a release from the Tax Ministry. The national lottery Lotto and scratchcards, however, will remain in the hands of Danske Spil. Foreign bookmakers will only, however, be allowed to offer their services in Denmark if they pay duties to the Danish state to benefit Danish sports. *By setting down the future gaming strategy, the government has taken a big step towards creating a gaming model that is robust in relation to the global market,* the Tax Ministry says. Some 270,000 Danes are currently believed to spend between four and six billion kroner on Internet gaming per year. The government is proposing a model in which foreign bookmakers must have a licence in order o be able to offer gaming in Denmark. In order to obtain a licence, they have to accept Danish gaming rules and allow themselves to be monitored by the Danish authorities – among other reasons in order to counteract ludomania, which is an addiction to gambling. 
The government expects to be able to present its proposals in Parliament after the summer recess and has already secured a majority for a liberalisation of the rules. *It is positive that the government has finally reached the same conclusions as we have. We believe that a liberalisation will mean that we keep more of our players at home and ensure a larger part of the profits for both the public coffers and for the public ,* says Danish People’s Party Tax Spokesman Mikkel Dencker. The Socialist People’s Party also supports the proposal.