International operators not guaranteed Portuguese entry
Portugal's ministries said to have "favourable position" regarding domestic operator, which could be awarded an online monopoly
Operators could yet be denied access to a regulated Portuguese market despite the country’s parliament committing to regulatory discussions in the coming weeks.
Earlier this week it was revealed Portugal is to discuss gambling regulation before the current parliamentary legislative session ends on 10 July, with a view to passing long awaited gambling regulation in the country.
It had been hoped that pressure put on Portugal by the EU troika, which issued the country with a bail out, would see the liberalisation of the market, however, eGaming Review understands domestic operator Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) could be granted an effective monopoly.
The Portuguese government is set to discuss which legislative model to adopt and while general consensus seems to favour a liberalised market, there is an option to extend SCML’s exclusive right to operate lottery products into sports betting.
“There are still non-consensual positions inside the Portuguese Government, as some ministries have a favourable position regarding the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa monopoly,” Nuno Azevedo Neves, partner at Lisbon-based legal firm ABBC & Associados, said.
Such a move would see the country adopt a similar regulatory model to Greece, which awarded OPAP with a monopoly of its betting market until 2020 “ later extended to 2030 “ after the company paid a one-off licensing fee and agreed to pay 5% of gross gaming revenue for the license’s duration.
The decision has subsequently faced several legal challenges and William Hill and Betfair recently launched legal proceedings against the Hellenic Gaming Commission and the Greek Ministry of Finance after their licence applications went unanswered.
Sweden has also maintained a monopoly of its online gaming market until now, however infringement proceedings launched by the European Union late last year have sought to address the issue.