6 Amendments of Nikolaos CHOUNTIS related to 2011/2084(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. recalls the growing economic importance of the on-line gambling industry, the take from which was over EUR 6 billion, or 45% of the world market, in 2008; agrees with the Court of Justice of the European Union that this is an economic activity with specific characteristics; stresses its attachment to compliance with the subsidiarity principle in this sector, as well as the need for stringent binding standards governing the activities of on-line gambling companies to be adopted all Member States;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. stresses that the essential nature of all on-line activities, in particular the fact that they operate across national borders, the proliferation of offshore operators and the possibility of instantaneously launching and winding up illicit operations, requires that they be dealt with in a coordinated manner at European level;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. insists on the need to dissuade players from engaging in illegal gambling, which requires constant monitoring with cooperation at European and international level for the eradication of illegal operations and means that lawful services must be provided as a system that is coherent across the whole of Europe, especially in terms of tax treatment, and applies common standards of accountability and integrity, necessarily including a set of measures designed to clamp down on illegal activities, compulsive gambling and underage involvement;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. takes the view that the proliferation of on-line gambling represents a threat to the integrity of sport; stresses that this development also increases the scope for illegal practices such as match fixing, illegal betting cartels, money laundering and underage betting; stresses that keeping sporting events credible and honest is vital to the sports industry as a whole; considers that the European Union must play a more prominent role in safeguarding the integrity of sport, a goal to be pursued by all stakeholders;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. calls, therefore, for the establishment of a European Agency for Integrity and Fair Play in Sport consistent with Articles 6, 83 and 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, with a specific remit to promote player education and coordinate action against fraud and corruption in sport by sharing information and expertise and by applying the common definition of offences and sanctions; stresses the need for this agency to cooperate with recognised European and international sports bodies such as FIFA, UEFA and FIBA for an exchange of views on the implementation of successful practices; stresses the need for proven instances of fraud to be swiftly and severely penalised;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. stresses that on-line gambling is a major source of funding for the sports industry; stresses the need to increase substantially the percentage of funding from this sector that is earmarked for amateur sports; recalls that on-line betting is one form of the commercial exploitation of sporting events; calls on the Commission to look at ways in which revenues from sports betting might be routinely used to safeguard the integrity of popular sport and develop it; calls on the Commission to ensure that there is a high level of legal security, particularly regarding application of the rules on state aid.