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An online gambler in Austria lost €950,000 on two online gambling sites. The player said that the sites were both licensed by the Maltese gaming authority, but were operating illegally in Europe. He believes that the operators should be forced to pay restitution.
According to a recent report from Jocelyn Wood Pokerfuse, the man stole the money to gamble from his employer. However, he still decided to file a lawsuit against the gaming operator to recoup his losses. Wood didn’t specify whether the plaintiff is facing criminal charges for embezzlement.
The Austrian Supreme Court is currently hearing the case. The judges have asked for clarification from the Court of Justice of the European Union on a couple of key points. One of their questions was whether Austrian laws were in compliance with European treaties.
Many online gaming operators are worried about the implications of the new law. The court could set precedent that could derail gray market online gaming providers. However, the courts recently ruled in favor of the gaming industry in a similar case, which suggests that the industry doesn’t have anything to worry about.
The previous precedent is encouraging, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will rule against the gaming operators in this case. Judge Eleanor Sharpston of the Austrian national courts said that there are a couple of issues that they need to determine before making a ruling. The justices must decide whether the gaming providers committed fraud or exploited people suffering from gambling addictions. They are also discussing whether the expansion of online gambling would have helped address the problem.
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