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October 26, 2007
Unibet CEO Petter Nylander will not fight his extradition to France after Dutch authorities arrested him last Monday in connection with an arrest warrant issued by France.
The outspoken Nylander, a vocal critic of France’s monopolistic gambling policies, will be transferred to France next Monday to face possible charges under old French protectionist laws, an issue seen at odds with European Union (EU) legislation which demands the relaxing of trade barriers within the EU. The European Commission has already commented on the case saying Nylander’s arrest may constitute the arrest of an innocent person.
The timing of the arrest could not have come at worse time for the French government with is in the process of trying to negotiate a relaxation of its state-run gambling monopoly laws which would see companies like that of Nylander’s being granted access to the French market. It’s believed the French government may bring pressure to bear on its legal authorities to drop the case against Nylander.
All sectors within the European online gambling industry, including the online bingo and free online bingo games sector, will be taking a detailed interest in how this case develops. With memories fresh in the online bingo community of US authorities arresting online gaming executive while in transit, the case may well become a bell weather moment in the development of free markets with in the EU.
Unibet is a Malta registered online betting business operated from Britain and caters for up to 1.8 million customers. A Unibet spokesmen said the company is outraged by the apparent disregard of EU law by France.
"We are doing nothing illegal because we have a license for Britain," The spokesman claimed to Dutch newspapers. "According to the European rules, if you have a licence for one member state, you are authorised to use it in the others."
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