SLOVAKIA WITHDRAWS ONLINE GAMBLING PROPOSAL

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 : SLOVAKIA WITHDRAWS ONLINE GAMBLING PROPOSAL
 
Little support for Finance Ministry's draft amendment
 
A controversial proposal initiated by Slovakia's Finance Ministry in September of this year, that would have seen internet service providers forced to block unlicenced internet gambling operators from offering services to Slovakian residents, has been withdrawn.
 
The Ministry withdrew the proposed amendment citing "differing opinions within the EU" as the cause and little support from its own Justice Ministry, European Union officials and individual member states, said Slovakia’s largest newspaper SME Daily.
 
The proposal met with strong criticism from anti-censorship organisation Society for Open Information Technologies (SOIT) who believe alternative measures are available without turning to regulation of the internet.