Bilag til rapporten

Indhold:

1.  Hovedpunkter fra interviews
2. TRUSTe notat om selvregulering
3. TRUSTe notat om databeskyttelse i EU
4. Forbrugerstyrelsens notat om forbrugerbeskyttelse
5. How to start an online casino and sportsbook

1.  Hovedpunkter fra interviews

I de følgende afsnit præsenteres de personer som Fischer & Lorenz har interviewet i forbindelse med udredningen. De holdninger, der er udtrykt tilhører de enkelte interviewpersoner og er dermed ikke udtryk for Fischer & Lorenz' holdninger.

Carl Williams, head of interactive TV, Nordisk Film, Danmark

Nordisk Film er en af de helt store spillere i det danske mediebillede. De har en afdeling for interaktiv TV der arbejder med en række projekter i ind- og udland. Bl.a. arbejder man sammen med Tipstjenesten om et lotteriprojekt.

Nordisk Film vurderer, at interaktiv TV kan blive en storspiller i kampen om at blive den foretrukne adgangsvej til internettet fra danske hjem, og at internet og TV i det hele taget vil smelte sammen til et integreret medie.

Carl Williams fortalte, at Sky Television har knap 3 mio. Set Top Bokse ude i engelske hjem. Der tilbydes e-mail, spil og udvidede TV-funktioner. Sportsbetting er i forsøg.

Tahir Siddique, medstifter, Play Off, England / Danmark

Play Off blev etableret i 1998 med en hjemmeside, hvor man kunne se odds på forskellige spil som danskere interesserede sig for. Play Off blev etableret fordi man mente, det måtte være muligt at tilbyde bedre odds end Tipstjenesten og samtidig tilbyde et mere fleksibelt spil. Play Off blev etableret som et aktieselskab i England med en startkapital på ca. 3 mio. kr.

Play Off oplevede, at det var svært at komme i gang, da man ikke kunne oprette en bankkonto i Danmark og heller ikke kunne benytte PBS' kreditkortløsning på internettet. Det har betydet, at man i stedet benytter en tysk kortindløser.

Det tager ca. 2-3 år at etablere sig som bookmaker. Men Play Off oplever nu, at det er rentabelt at drive virksomheden. Tahir Siddique vurderer, at der skal ca. 1. mio. kr. i omsætning pr. uge for at drive en mindre bookmaker i Skandinavien. Ca. 70% af kunderne benytter internettet, resten bruger telefon og fax. Play Off har 3 ansatte i England og 3 på et informationskontor i Danmark.

Play Off oplever, at det er vigtigt at kunne tilbyde danske spil. Det vil sige damehåndbold, ishockey og også 1. divisionsfodbold foruden superligaen og udenlandske ligaer.

Play Off tilbyder spil helt frem til 5 minutter før spilstart og kan levere resultater via en SMS svarservice på mobiltelefon.

WAP forventes at blive en vigtig salgskanal for sportsvæddemål. Men Play Off afventer en større gennemtrængning af WAP på mobilmarkedet, før man igangsætter denne tjeneste.

Play Off vurderer, at ca. 80% af kunderne er trofaste, mens ca. 20% shopper rundt til de bedste odds. Det er blandt de 20% at de store penge findes. Play Off kalkulerer med en tilbagebetaling på 80%.

Martin Thorborg, marketingdirektør, Jubii, Danmark

Martin Thorborg, der er en af grundlæggerne af internetsøgetjenesten Jubii, har gennem de seneste år været med til at opbygge en af Danmarks mest succesfulde virksomheder på internettet. Jubii har konstant gennem de seneste år været Danmarks mest besøgte hjemmeside. Det har Jubii opnået ved at tilbyde søgemaskiner og underholdning på internettet.

Martin Thorborg påpeger at der allerede findes lotterier på internettet – også blandt humanitære organisationer.

Kapow (www.kapow.dk) samarbejder med Ekstrabladet om en oversigt over udenlandske bookmakeres odds.

Martin Thorborg siger, at situationen i Danmark medfører, at penge flytter ud af landet (primært til bookmaking). Disse penge kommer aldrig hjem igen – og undgår dermed beskatning. På den måde lærer man en hel generation at omgå reglerne. Det viser også, at national regulering ikke virker, fordi internettet og spil ikke er et nationalt fænomen. Og når man har med internet og teknologi at gøre, opstår der nye muligheder hurtigere end lovgiverne kan stoppe dem.

Martin Thorborg mener, at slaget stadig kan vindes af Danmark ved at fjerne monopolet på spil – og dermed også på internettet. Danske spillesteder skal certificeres af myndighederne og betale en rimelig afgift. Det vil give forbrugerne et attraktivt spillemarked under ordnede forhold og med en høj grad af sikkerhed. Man kunne lave en garantifond a'la rejsebranchens. Derved bliver størstedelen af spilleprovenuet i Danmark

Jubii forbereder spil på internettet, hvor man kan vinde 'Jubs', der kan veksles til Jubii merchandise, som T-shirts, krus etc. Det vil forberede spillerne på rigtige spil, hvis det bliver lovligt i Danmark. Indtil det sker, er spillene med til at trække flere brugere til Jubii's hjemmeside.

Om fremtiden siger Martin Thorborg: Sportsspil. Det falder i tråd med 'The Dream Society', hvor sport er lig med 'ægte oplevelser' der giver anledning til heltedyrkelse i endnu højere grad end i dag. Mobiltelefonen bliver et vigtigt medie når man skal spille. På travbanen behøver man f.eks. ikke at stå i kø for at spille, hvis man kan gøre det hurtigt og enkelt via telefonen. Aktiekulturen flytter grænser hos forbrugeren.

Martin Thorborg vurderer at danskerne ikke er så hysteriske omkring registrering som amerikanerne er. Bl.a. fordi der er en udbredt tillid til at de regler der findes på området bliver overholdt.

Birger Hauge, direktør, A/S Brandts.com, Danmark

Birger Hauge har som formand for Børnehjælpsdagens Lillebrorlotteri oplevet den danske lovgivning på egen krop. Bortlodningscirkulæret fra 1994 fastslår, at spil ikke må distribueres via elektroniske terminaler. Det betød bl.a., at PBS ikke turde medvirke med en betalingsløsning. Børnelotteriet blev således forhindret i at gå på internettet og Birger Hauge vurderer at man gik glip af ca. 2 mio. kr. til humanitære formål. Det er paradoksalt, når telefonlotterier forekommer næsten dagligt på TV – ring til et 900-nummer til overpris og deltag i trækningen om præmier.

Birger Hauge påpeger at reklamefinansierede lotterier altid har eksisteret – i form af kuponhæfter og lignende. Klasselotteriet har i dag muligheden for at virke på internettet, men de går tilsyneladende ikke i gang. I Quebec har der eksisteret on-line lotto siden 1990.

Fremtiden tilhører de internetbaserede spil og måske især de mobile spil. Tipstjenesten bliver kørt agterud, hvis de fortsætter i den nuværende form. De tilbyder lavere odds og dårligere gevinster end det øvrige spilleudbud på internettet. internetbrugere er generelt mere spillelystne end befolkningen som helhed, vurderer Birger Hauge. Fremkomsten af nye spil har altid udvidet markedet.

Peter Andersson, direktør, SSP Interactive Sports Betting, England / Sverige

SSP blev grundlagt i 1976 i London af svenskeren Peter Andersson. Dengang var der primært tale om telefon og postordre spil. I dag sender man ikke længere kuponer ud til kunderne. Det foregår via fax og internet. Der er 85 ansatte – hvilket er et fald i forhold til før man gik på internettet.

SSP henvender sig i dag på nationale sprog til følgende lande: Danmark, Tyskland, Spanien, Kina, Frankrig, Belgien, Holland, Italien, Norge, Finland, Sverige, Thailand, Japan og Rusland.

Peter Andersson er af den grundlæggende mening, at Romtraktaten giver ham ret til at etablere sin forretning i ethvert EU-land og sælge bookmakingydelser i ethvert EU-land. Han er i færd med at afprøve lovgivningen i Sverige, idet han har anlagt sag mod den svenske regering, der har lukket en SSP bookmaking-shop i Sverige.

SSP ser gerne, at man tillader etablering af bookmakere i Danmark. Han vil gerne betale evt. licens og skat. Dog mener han, at hans engelske licens burde være tilstrækkelig i Danmark.

SSP opererer med en tilbagebetaling på 70%.

SSP vurderer, at en væsentlig del af spillet også i fremtiden vil foregå via automater og fysiske butikker. Dermed har man muligheden for at forblive anonym – man skal ikke forklare ægtefællen hvad de poster på f.eks. telefonregningen drejer sig om. For SSP er internettet blot endnu en salgskanal, og WAP skal nok komme – men ikke endnu.

Om Tipstjenesten siger SSP: Hvorfor skal Staten være spilleoperatør – den er ikke professionel og ved ikke nok om spil.

Timothy Ewing, president, Uproar Europe, England / USA

Uproar startede i 1995 i Budapest med softwareudvikling. I 1996 etablerede man de første hjemmesider med spil. I dag er Uproar blandt de 40 mest besøgte hjemmesider i verden og endnu højere på listen, hvis man ser på hvor meget tid brugeren tilbringer på hjemmesiden.

Uproar, der har internetguruen Esther Dyson i bestyrelsen, er i færd med at gå på Nasdaq-børsen i New York.

Uproar tilbyder spil på internettet. Ikke væddemål og lotto, men underholdningsspil, hvor man både kan vinde point og penge. Det hele er finansieret af annoncer og sponsorer. Dermed koster det ikke noget for forbrugeren – ud over hans opmærksomhed. Uproar forventer at være profitabel i andet halvår 2002.

Uproar er etableret i Skandinavien gennem et selskab i Norge. Herfra vil man bearbejde Sverige, Finland og Danmark. I hvert enkelt land vil man søge samarbejde med hjemmesider, der allerede har høj trafik.

Uproar har specialiseret sig i multi player spil. Det vil sige spil, hvor man spiller med / mod andre spillere. Tim Ewing siger, at det er vigtigt at spilleren ikke føler, at han er alene om at spille, han skal helst føle, at han er en del af et fællesskab. I de fleste af spillene kan spillerne chatte med hinanden under spillet.

Uproar vurderer, at gratis lotto konceptet er særdeles interessant og overvejer at introducere det.

Uproar indsamler information om sine spillere: alder, køn, uddannelse, indkomst, civilstand etc. De fleste spørgsmål er frivillige at svare på. Men folk har generelt ikke noget imod at svare. Informationerne sælges ikke videre til annoncører, men bruges til at målrette annoncørernes reklamer til de enkelte brugersegmenter. Viden om den enkelte forbruger bliver dermed hos Uproar, mens aggregeret information kan præsenteres for annoncørerne, når annoncepriser skal forhandles.

Uproar producerer også spil til interaktiv TV. Man har en kontrakt med Cable & Wireless om at levere spil til deres kabel-TV kunder i USA. Indtil videre har man 4.000 spillere ud af 60.000 interaktive TV kiggere.

Alex Nielsen, Salgs- og marketingdirektør,
Dansk Tipstjeneste AS

Dansk Tipstjeneste AS (DT) blev stiftet i 1948. Tipskuponen var det eneste produkt frem til 1989, hvor Lotto blev introduceret. Siden er flere spil blevet introduceret, bl.a. skrab, Oddset og flere spil i samarbejde med TV.

Ifølge Alex Nielsen vil DT introducere spil på internettet i efteråret 2000. Det vil i første omgang dreje sig om et pilotforsøg, som skal omfatte 1000-1200 spillere, der tilbydes at spille på “Den Lange” i Oddset. Det er meningen at dette spil skal udbredes generelt efter pilotperioden. På længere sigt vil DT ud over de nuværende spil også tilbyde andre former for spil. Spil, der udelukkende baseres på internettets præmisser forventes indført et stykke ud i fremtiden.

DT følger en strategi med to hovedelementer. Dels vurderes hvilke spil, der er interessante nu og i fremtiden, dels vurderes hvilke distributionskanaler, der skal benyttes fremover. Ifølge Alex Nielsen ønsker DT at distribuere spil gennem såvel forhandlere i detailhandlen, som via elektroniske medier som internet, mobiltelefon og interaktiv TV. DT vurderer, at de elektroniske medier på længere sigt vil kunne dække en pæn del af omsætningen.

Det er DT's ambition at blive de danske spilleres foretrukne spillested på internettet. Det vil DT skabe gennem en helhedsløsning, der omfatter såvel kendte spil, som nye der introduceres i de kommende år. Desuden vil DT opbygge et “videnscenter” med oplysninger om klubber, spillerhandler, skader og lignende. DT overvejer endvidere, om man skal tilbyde morskabsspil for at skabe interesse for DT blandt yngre spillere, der ikke har samme loyalitet som ældre spillere.

Som den veletablerede spiludbyder i Danmark vil DT dog ikke risikere at sætte spillernes tillid over styr. Det betyder, at dyder som troværdighed, driftsikkerhed og stabilitet vægtes meget højt – også i forbindelse med den forestående entré på internetscenen. Prisen for at holde fast i disse dyder er, ifølge Alex Nielsen, at det tager længere tid at introducere nye spil.

I forbindelse med introduktionen af internetbaserede spil er Alex Nielsen godt klar over, at DT – som den store danske udbyder – kommer til at investere i en markedsføringskampagne, som også andre spiludbydere på internettet kan have gavn af (hvis DT generelt overbeviser spillerne om, at det er godt at spille på internettet, er det nærliggende at tro at spillerne også vil have lettere ved at skifte til andre internetbaserede udbydere af spil). Alex Nielsen tror dog på, at mærkevareeffekten, sikkerheden, etikken og kendskabet er tilstrækkelige store konkurrencefordele til at spillerne vælger det “kendte” og dermed DT.

Alex Nielsen ser den store mængde “gratis” spil på internettet som en stor trussel. Da skrabespillene blev givet fri i 1995, dukkede der mange mindre seriøse gratis skrabespil op. Det resulterede i at skrabespillenes generelle troværdighed faldt med det resultat at omsætningen på betalte skrabespil faldt med over 30% på et år. Forbrugerne blev generelt trætte af de mange udbud og havde hertil vanskeligt ved at adskille de gode spil fra de mindre gode. De mange dårlige oplevelser med “manglende” vindere gav den effekt, at mange spillere helt holdt op med at spille. Alex Nielsen frygter, at den samme effekt vil kunne opleves på internettet, hvis spil her bliver en allemandsvare. I øvrigt bemærker Alex Nielsen, at der ikke er noget på internettet som er “gratis”. I de gratis spil betaler spilleren indirekte via interesserede sponsorer med informationer om købsvaner, husstandsforhold, etc.

Alex Nielsen vurderer at den eksisterende lovgivning ikke giver DT optimale betingelser for at tage konkurrencen op med de udenlandske spiludbydere på internettet og især de mange “gratis” spil som p.t. hastigt kommer ind på markedet. Ideelt set burde reglerne strammes op med hensyn til mulighederne for at udbyde spil på internettet. Spil på internettet bør ikke gives frit i Danmark, mener Alex Nielsen. En sådan lempelse af lovgivningen vil kunne medføre, at mange små spiludbydere vil opstå – med den konsekvens, at der ikke vil være en enkelt stærk dansk udbyder, som kan konkurrere med udenlandske initiativer.

Såfremt lovgivningen ikke generelt strammes op, vil internettet kunne blive til et virtuelt sted for personer med kortsigtede hensigter og som ikke opererer på et marked efter fornuftige moralbegreber, men som i stedet styres af udsigten til en hurtig profit. Alex Nielsen vurderer, at en lempelse af adgangen til at udbyde spil på internettet vil kunne medføre sociale og sundhedsmæssige konsekvenser for befolkningen.

Alex Nielsen anfører samtidig, at man ikke blot kan se spillovgivningen i et rent dansk perspektiv. Man må skele til EU-lovgivningen, og herunder oplystes, at de mange nationale spilleselskaber under WLA (World Lottery Association) arbejder sammen om et code of condukt som vil skulle regulere, hvordan de nationale spilleselskaber agerer på internettet og dermed ikke konkurrerer med hinanden på tværs af landegrænserne til skade for de enkelte landes overskudsformål til almennyttige formål, sociale, kulturelle, idrætslige formål osv.

Der vil derfor blandt disse landets statslige spilleselskaber være, ikke alene forståelse for, men direkte ønske om, at de nationale lovgivninger forbyder spil til udenlandske kunder. Samtidig har EU-domstolen tilsluttet sig det hovedsynspunkt, at spil reguleres nationalt ud fra sociale og ordensmæssige hensyn. Det synes derfor at være en opgave, påpeger Alex Nielsen, at gennemføre en lovgivning der gensidigt forpligter (indledningsvist EU-landene) til at kriminalisere internetudbydere, der i et land udbyder spil til publikum i et andet land.

 

2. TRUSTe notat om selvregulering

Notatet er fra 5. april 2000.

The Role of Privacy and the internet

Electronic business is unimaginable without the processing of personal data. An impediment on the further development of electronic commerce is the fear of consumers that the information they provide (consciously or not) will be used in ways they would not authorize. It is unanimously assumed and supported by market surveys and opinion polls that a climate of sustained confidence is essential for maintaining the growing potential of the information society.

Not only personal data processing, but also personal data protection has become a business in the networked economy. A new 'privacy protection industry' is springing up with services helping online consumers to get better control of the use of their data. Nearly every week new privacy protection services or tools are announced. The wide variety of services and the constant development of new creative ideas in this domain is undoubtedly a very positive evolution. As in every other sector however creativity, innovation and competition has to be combined with a certain degree of standardisation. Even if it were only for the achievement of some degree of uniformity, or at least a benchmark by which to judge that various products and services can be evaluated on the basis of well-established criteria, standardisation of some manor would appear a justified aim.

An initiative is also necessary for two other reasons. It is impossible to deny that the protection of the individual with regard to the processing of personal data in the context of global electronic business remains problematic, despite the wide range of regulatory initiatives in this area. Every company willing to start up global e-business in full respect of all applicable national and international rules on personal data protection, experiences the lack of clear and practical rules on how to behave or comply in this respect. This is not an ideal situation.

In Europe the processing of personal data has to comply with the European Data Protection Directive (EC/95/46). This provides only for a general framework and much of the effectiveness of the protection envisaged will ultimately depend on the various member state implementation mechanisms. The major affected parties to this legislation seem to concur on the need for some general guidelines to compliment the provisions of the directive.

And then there is the on-going discussion between the EU and the US about the international transfer of personal data and about the 'adequacy' of the self-regulatory approach favoured in the US. This puts into the spotlight the inherently different transatlantic approaches towards the issue of personal data protection – legislation as opposed to industry led self-regulation.

As this is being written we appear to be in the end game of the political discussions. We await the actual member state ratification of the diplomatic proposals. However it seems clear that there is a need on a global scale to initiate discussions with all interested parties on how to behave with regard to the protection of personal data.

There seems to be a broad agreement on the need for some set of recognized practices and procedures in this area. Regulators want to see mechanisms producing effectiveness and accountability. Businesses want to embed compliance into existing business practices using existing mechanisms. They are looking for a solution to remove uncertainty and that is scaleable so as to minimise the cost aspect. Consumers for their part are looking for mechanisms that will inspire confidence, substance and an element of independent assurance.

What concerns us is the situation as it stands today. The push for some form of Standardisation will take time – a minimum of half a dozen internet years at best. One only has to look at how long the EU Directive took from conception to delivery – in excess of 6 years – and how even today some Member states are being sued for failure to meet the enabling legislation timetable to understand that waiting for any certainty in this area is going to require at the very least, considerable patience.

In the US, the notion of self-regulation on privacy would appear to reign supreme. With the exception of 'special' situations, such as the Children On Line Privacy Protection Act which covers the risk to under 13 year olds and the prospect of some regulation in the Medical field, on-line privacy is a voluntary undertaking. However, the above Business Week statistics reveal how important this issue is to the internet Business Model. As a consequence there has been a proliferation of industry led approaches to address this concern.

From Privacy Enhancing Technology solutions which look to embed in either the web site owner's operating system or the consumer's, technological means to protect privacy to Web Seal programs, which adopt rules of conduct which the Web site owner agrees to comply with in return for a visible seal of approval, the US has demonstrated that it recognises this as a key issue. And very recently, there has been several calls to put the Web seals on a regulatory basis, by empowering the Federal Trade Commission to administer a government run e-commerce seal program, and so answer the criticism of lack of enforcement that is levelled at the current seal programs.

Undoubtedly the recent 'case law' has brought about this move to follow what already exists in Europe, namely a regulatory environment in this matter. It is clear that privacy violations, whether real or perceived, have left the realm of internet etiquette and are now a tangible business problem that can damage your brand and cost you money. Just take a look at the recent DoubleClick, RealNetworks or Amazon.com instances. From a recent speech by President Clinton, who said to the e-commerce industry 'Protect on-line Privacy or the Feds will', to the surge in demand for Privacy Officers in the Digital world, we can see just how important this matter has become.

If we turn now to our specific experience, we demonstrate this increasing awareness. Started in late 1997 as an industry led program we have seen applications and licensed sites accelerate exponentially. We have witnessed a surge from 70 licenses in January 1997 to 500 in January 1998 to 1300 in January 2000. We have 500 applications pending and are approving nearly 200 a month. The Truste Seal is the most highly rated impression on view figures on the internet, scoring 4 times as many as the next closest, AOL.

What can we conclude from this? Business realises that it is no longer acceptable not to respect privacy. Even in the absence of a regulatory environment, the correct handling of privacy is at the very heart of a successful e-commerce strategy.

The European Situation

Unlike the US, Europe has a regulated approach to Privacy. The EU 95/46 Directive by and large takes the OECD guidelines as laid down in 1980 as its Privacy framework. This Directive was passed into European Law in October 1998 and Member states now have a mandatory requirement to pass enabling legislation to make the EU Directive National law. This however has not yet been universally achieved across Member states, to the extent that Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are all being sued by the European Court of Justice for failing to notify the implementing measures within the deadline prescribed by the Directive.

However, it seems likely that eventually, all will be enabled. What is also clear that Member states can have their own National laws on Privacy. Thus in Germany for example, it is national law that the right of anonymity should be offered to those wishing to transact on-line.

However, it is clear that the de facto situation in Europe and for that matter in Denmark is that Privacy is regulated and at the very least, on-line businesses whether gaming or otherwise, have to comply with the EU Directive.

Therefore, we need to look at this Directive in some detail:

Whereas data-processing systems are designed to serve man; whereas they must, whatever the nationality or residence of natural persons, respect their fundamental rights and freedoms, notably the right to privacy, and contribute to economic and social progress, trade expansion and the well-being of individuals; [EU Oct95, Paragraph 2]

Referencing Article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the general principles of European Community law, the Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data seeks to ensure a high level of protection of the right to privacy within the European Community.

The key points are stated immediately in Article 1:

• In accordance with this Directive, Member States shall protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons, and in particular their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data.
• Member States shall neither restrict nor prohibit the free flow of personal data between Member States for reasons connected with the protection afforded under paragraph 1.

Personal data refers to any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (data subject), where this identifying process can be either direct or indirect. The processing of personal data includes collection, recording, organization, storage, adaptation, alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination, or even destruction of personal data.

The standard limitations apply after all, according to the Treaty on European Union, public safety, defence, State security or activities of the State in the area of criminal laws fall outside the scope of Community law; this also includes the safeguarding of the economic well-being of the state. Interestingly, the economic well being of the state includes taxation, budgetary, and monetary matters.

The intent of the Directive is that personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully, collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes, is necessarily accurate, and is not kept for any longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the data were collected [EU Oct95, Article 6]. Essentially, personal data can not be collected arbitrarily, and the collection of this data must meet some pre-specified requirements: what is the nature of the use, how much personal data is in fact needed for such a use, and the duration of time where this data is valid and accurate.

Personal data may only be processed under a specific set of requirements as well. The data subject must unambiguously give consent for the gathering and processing of this data. If this is not the case, then necessities must arise: processing is necessary for the performance of a contract, for compliance with a legal obligation, for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, or if it is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject.

Even more emphasis is placed particularly on special categories of data, where processing is prohibited. These special categories consist of data that reveal racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, and the processing of data concerning health or sex life. Limitations still do apply here too, such as employment law, or if the processing is in the vital interests of the individual.

Once this data is gathered, Article 17 dictates that it must be processed in a secure manner to protect the personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, accidental loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access, in particular where the processing involves the transmission of data over a network. The issue of transfer becomes even more applicable within Articles 25 and 26 on transborder data flow.

“Adequacy” and Transborder Data Flow

The intent of the European Union in this particular arena is to harmonize legislation in order to develop and sustain the Internal Market, and to avoid any fracturing of this market due to differing standards and policies. Prior to legislation, consultation and harmonization occurred on existing policies in Member States, and the final directive is passed into law, where all Member States have to meet the requirements stated within the law. In efforts to sustain the Internal Market, fractures may be created in the Global Market, but these fractures are often deemed acceptable, as is the case with transborder data flows.

The Member States shall provide that the transfer to a third country of personal data [for processing] may take place only if [...] the third country in question ensures an adequate level of protection. [EU Oct95, Article 25]

A white list and a black list of countries are created based on their adequacy of protection of personal data. Once on the black list, member states shall “take the measures necessary to prevent any transfer of data of the same type to the third country in question” [EU Oct95, Paragraph 4]. It has been found that the US fits such a condition, and by Paragraph 5, the European Commission has to “enter into negotiations with a view to remedying the situation”. Article 26 does allow a case-by-case approach to the transfer of data providing adequate mechanisms are in place.

An example can be drawn from the German archives for such a case on data protection. Germany has long had strong data protection regulations. In 1994, German National Railway created an agreement with Citibank where the personal data of millions of German citizens was to be processed in the US. The news of this triggered a public outcry, and the German data protection authorities stated that the arrangement would be prohibited unless an acceptable method could be devised to protect the privacy of the cardholders [Davies]. After subsequent negotiations, Citibank was forced to make significant changes in the way it manages customer information, and resulted in “a substantial expenditure of resources to implement” [Davies].

“Adequate Protection” is, however, a value-laden term. Recalling the philosophy of the EU movements, the purpose of data protection is to afford protection to the individual about whom data are processed. This is typically achieved through a combination of rights for the data subject and obligations on those who process data [EU Jul98]. In Europe the tendency has been to establish these rules into law, which has provided for the possibility of non-compliance to be sanctioned and for individuals to be given a right to redress, and the establishment of enforcement mechanisms [EU July98]. These laws also allow for the indisputable declaration of data collection principles, which are key to data protection. From the principles, adequacy of data protection is gauged. The principles are as follows:

1. the purpose limitation principle – This is a key principle: data should be processed for a specific purpose and subsequently used or further communicated only insofar as this is not incompatible with the purpose of the transfer.
2. the data quality and proportionality principle – Requires that data integrity be maintained, i.e. data should be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. The data should be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purposes for which they are transferred or further processed.
3. the transparency principle – individuals should be provided with information as to the purpose of the processing and the identity of the data controller in the third country, and other information insofar as this is necessary to ensure fairness.
4. the security principle – The storing of the data must be done by a controller with technical and organisational security measures that are appropriate to the risks presented by the processing.
5. the rights of access, rectification and opposition – The individual should have a right to obtain a copy of all data relating to him/her that are processed, and a right to rectification of those data where they are shown to be inaccurate. In certain situations he/she should also be able to object to the processing of the data relating to him/her.
6. restrictions on onward transfers – Linking heavily to transborder data flow, this principle requires that further transfers of the personal data by the recipient of the original data transfer should be permitted only where the second recipient (i.e. the recipient of the onward transfer) is also subject to rules affording an adequate level of protection.

Examples of additional principles applied to specific types of processing are:

1. sensitive data – where 'sensitive' categories of data are involved, additional safeguards should be in place, such as a requirement that the individual gives his/her explicit consent for the processing.
2. direct marketing – where data are transferred for the purposes of direct marketing, individuals should be able to 'opt-out' from having his/her data used for such purposes at any stage.

When these are written into law, as is the case with the EU Data Protection Directive, all that is required to support it is a good level of compliance, support to assist individual subjects, and the right to redress. This is what the EU considers to be adequate protection. However we must consider that some other countries, particularly the US, do not have any legislative controls, and thus arises the problem that is prescribed in Article 26.

Article 26 outlines a conflict of intentions among countries regarding data protection, with measures and resources, however the implementation is difficult. The EU has considered solutions to the arising conflicts such as the creation of a White List of countries that are generally positive in their policies towards data protection. However, some countries do not have consistent laws, and others have federalist structures that allow variances between each state [EU June97]. Meanwhile, creating an industry-specific list, such as a list of all Medical Insurance providers within Canada is also unlikely to work because industry rules are not unilateral, nor necessarily enforceable.

The EU is taking this problem very seriously, particularly in the transfer of data that pose particular risks to privacy, and these data types happen to be particularly relevant in today's budding networked society. Working Groups and Parties of the European Commission are commissioned to create reports and implementation updates regarding the Data Protection Directive; one such group is working on the issue of Transfer of Data. The following is a list of criteria regarding the type of data and transfers that are deemed important to consider in the Transborder flow:

• those transfers involving certain sensitive categories of data as defined by Article 8 of the directive;
• transfers which carry the risk of financial loss (e.g. credit card payments over the internet);
• transfers carrying a risk to personal safety;
• transfers made for the purposes of making a decision that significantly affects the individual (such as recruitment or promotion decisions, the granting of credit, etc.);
• transfers which carry a risk of serious embarrassment or tarnishing of an individual's reputation;
• transfers which may result in specific actions which constitute a significant intrusion into an individual's private life, such as unsolicited telephone calls;
• repetitive transfers involving massive volumes of data (such as transactional data processed over telecommunications networks, the Internet etc.);
• transfers involving the collection of data in a particularly covert or clandestine manner (e.g. internet cookies).

[EU June97]

“If the data collected by a cookie or profile links to the name of a specific European individual, it can trigger the directive,” says Peter P. Swire, a law professor at Ohio State University. This is clearly not only about data protection and data integrity; the EU's case is based around personal privacy.

European citizens are granted rights that many other citizens around the world do not have: right to access their data, right to know where the data originated, the right to have inaccurate data rectified, the right to withhold data, and the right to recourse. Moreover, the EU is willing to fight for the sake of their citizens with any third country outside the Union that deals with their citizen's data that does not have adequate measures. It is already occurring, actually.

American Airlines (AA) was instructed to delete all health and medical details on Swedish passengers after each flight, by the Swedish Government. The only exception to holding on to this consumer information regarding their allergies, dietary needs, etc., follows from the Directive (Article 26.2a), would be if there is explicit consent from the individual. The catch is that this information was routinely kept on a database, being the SABRE reservation system, which is located within the US. Despite appeals to courts on this decision based on convenience and practicality, the decision was sustained. The decision, at last report, rests with the Sweden Supreme Court, but the export and processing of medical data has been suspended.

This brings us to the recent announcements concerning 'Safe Harbour' and the EU-US political accord. This will enable US industry to conduct business with Europe under strict data privacy conditions. So that where US companies to 'safe harbour' guidelines they would be deemed to comply with the EU privacy legislation. Self-regulatory bodies such as Truste and BBB on-line will administer such safe harbours. Financial Services are outside of this agreement, since there is impending legislation in this sector specific area.

UK Gaming Situation: Budget Update

In the UK there have been some recent developments. Littlewoods, UK's biggest private company, said it would offer prize of £2mm (biggest on the web) as part of a multi-million £ strategy to take its pools, betting and lottery businesses on line.

The group's website – Bet247 – is up and running. Littlewoods also plans to be the 1st co to offer gaming and betting on WAP phones through a joint venture with BT Cellnet (UK's 2nd largest mobile operator) to be launched next month.

As well as football pools with a jackpot of £2mm, Littlewoods will operate the UK's 1st internet lottery site, Prizebuster.

This will be based on the results from the National Lottery and will offer prizes of £400 and £5000 for players who guess 3 or 4 of winning numbers correctly.

The site will also offer as spot the ball competition, with £1000 for a £1 stake and the chance to bet on 'big matches', such as numbers of goals, off sides, corners, bookings etc, through a partnership with BSkyB's Sky Sports Channel.

UK customers would be able to bet tax free on the site until 31 March, after which there will be a review depending on UK Govt's does to help UK Betting industry in the forthcoming budget.

Hilton and Coral have been pressing for a reduction in betting duty to 3% from current 6.78%

Phase 2 of Littlewoods internet strategy will see in July an initiative targeted at overseas customers.

Littlewoods was in talks with other potential partners for services, in particular interactive TV and ISPs.

UK Budget Update

Betting duty will be scrapped and replaced with new taxes on bookmakers aimed at coping with the rise of Internet gambling the Revenue announced March 21.

These plans follow warnings of a collapse in betting duty as punters use the web to gamble offshore. Most large UK bookmakers, William Hill and Ladbrokes now have offshore subsidiaries.

The Revenue set out 2 preferred options. The first would require companies to pay duty for every UK punter placing bets, although no duty would be levied on overseas bets. The second bases duty on the gross profits of the business – including offshore arms – so the punter does not see details of the tax. Ladbrokes commented that it shows that the Revenue recognises that the UK bookmakers cannot compete in the internet era unless the tax regime is radically altered. But the industry body, the Betting Office Licensees Association was disappointed that an alternative of cutting the betting duty levy wasn't considered.

 

3. TRUSTe notat om databeskyttelse i EU

Notatet er fra 13. april 2000.

Brief on conflicts of law in the context of data protection in the Internal Market
The purpose of this note is to describe conflicts of law in the context of data protection in the EU. The materiel rules on data protection has in the EU been harmonised by directives 95/46/EC and 97/66/EC (telecom).

Conflicts of law in the context of data protection concerns both civil law and public law matters. As civil law matters is understood the relationship between two or more private parties, whereas public law matters concerns the legal requirements set up and enforced by national public authorities. Questions regarding data protection will normally be considered a public law issue. However civil law dispute may arise when it comes to disputes between the person registered and the person/business registering the person. This could be a contractual dispute regarding breach of an agreement to handle personal data, or as a claim for tort deriving from careless or abusive handling of personal data.

1. Public law requirements

The EU Treaty provides in articles 49 to 55 a fundamental EU principle of freedom to provide services within the Internal Market. It is the principle rule that Member States may not restrict the free movement of services from another Member State. The legal framework in the treaty leaves a rather wide option to restrict the free movement of services in fields not harmonised by community law if the restriction is legitimate and applied generally regardless of country of establishment.

Data protection has been harmonised in the EU and the principle rule is therefore that Member States may not restrict a business' activities from another Member State for reasons falling within the harmonised area. This is explicitly expressed in article 1 of directive 95/46/EC on data protection. The directive provides that each Member State shall apply national provisions where the processing is carried out in the context of the activities of an establishment of the data controller on the territory of the Member State. If the same data controller is established on the territory of several Member States the data controller must comply with the obligations laid down in each of these establishments.

Public law requirements that are not harmonised by community legislation can still within the framework of the Treaty be applied to restrict the free movement of services. This could e.g. be marketing law such as rules on good marketing or business practises. Therefore enforcement authorities from another EU Member State may be entitled to ask a foreign business to obey regulation in Member States whereto the marketing activity has been directed, e.g. via the Internet.

In December 1998 the Commission proposed a directive on e-commerce which contains a principle of country of origin for information society services (e.g. web-sites, e-mails, WAP and SMS). The country of origin principle implies that Member States shall ensure that businesses established on their territory complies with national law in the country of establishment, and Member States must not restrict the free movements of Information Society Services. The scope of application comprises public law requirements such as e.g. rules on good marketing or business practises. The directive on e-commerce is expected to be adopted in the middle of 2000, hereafter follows an implementation period of 18 months.

The field of data protection has been excluded from the scope of application of the directive on e-commerce because free movement of services is already ensured in this area by the directives on data protection as mentioned above.

The principle rule is that businesses only have to comply with national rules on data protection of the country in which the data controller as defined in directive 95/46/EC is established. Regarding other public law requirements not harmonised in the EU, the business will have to take into account the regulation in Member States whereto the commercial activity is directed. This however will be changed for information society services if the directive on e-commerce is being adopted in the present form.

2. Private law disputes

Rules on jurisdiction in intra EU disputes has been co-ordinated in the Brussels Convention. The Brussels Convention also contains rules on recognition and enforcement, giving the principle rule that a judgement entered in a court pursuant to the Brussels Conventions is enforceable in another Member State. The Commission has proposed an EU-regulation to amend the Brussels Convention, however this regulation contains no significant changes of relevance for the purpose of this brief.

Private international law (choice of law) is co-ordinated in the Rome Convention. The directive on e-commerce mentioned above does not establish additional rules on private international law nor does it deal with the jurisdiction of Courts.

Contracts

In disputes concerning a contract or agreement, the plaintiff can sue the defendant either in the defendant's homecourt or in the courts for the place of performance of the obligation in question. To the extent that the law of the contract has not been chosen in accordance with the Rome Convention, the contract shall be governed by the law of the country with which the dispute is most closely connected (the contacts approach). The Rome convention contains the presumption rule that a contract is most closely connected with the country where the party who is to effect the performance which is characteristic of the contract has his habitual residence at the time of conclusion of the contract.

Consumer contracts

In disputes concerning consumer contracts for the supply of goods or services the consumer will as a principle rule have the possibility of suing the business either in the business' homecourt or in the consumers own homecourt. If the consumer forum is applicable then the law of the country where the consumer has his habitual residence will normally apply. In these cases the business will only have the possibility of suing the consumer in the consumers homecourt.

These rules on consumer contracts applies only to contracts on credit, loan and contracts for the sale of goods and services, if the contract in the state of the consumer was preceded by advertising and the consumer in that state took the necessary steps for the conclusion of the contract. Marketing on the internet can presumably constitute such advertisement, however this question has been discussed in Europe without any firm conclusion. In the proposed EU-regulation on jurisdiction it is explicitly defined that marketing on the internet also can fulfil the requirement of advertisement. The rules on consumer contract are however not likely to apply to disputes concerning data protection since these disputes will normally not concern contracts on credit, loan and contracts for the sale of goods and services.

Tort

According to the Brussels Convention an injured party can sue the person causing the loss in the defendants homecourt, in the country where the harmful event took effect or in the country where the harmful event was initiated. There is no common EU legislation concerning the choice of law in tort, but the principle rule is that the injured party can choose either the law of the country where the harmful event took effect or the law of the country where the harmful event was initiated.

A business pursuing commercial activities in the EU can be met by civil law suits in other Member States in connection to contracts and tort. It is important to note that such judgements are immediately enforceable in other Member States. In such transnational civil law disputes the business can not be sure that the law of the country of establishment will apply.

 

4. Forbrugerstyrelsens notat om forbrugerbeskyttelse

Forbrugerbeskyttelse i relation til udbud af pengespil på internettet

Behovet for at beskytte forbrugerne mod påtrængende, kommercielle spiludbydere på internettet afviger ikke væsentligt fra øvrig markedsføring af varer og tjenesteydelser på internettet, bortset fra den særlige problemstilling om ludomani.

Erhvervsdrivendes brug af internettet til at markedsføre varer og tjenesteydelser samt forbrugernes mulighed for at indgå aftaler over internettet rejser en række generelle spørgsmål om forbrugernes retsbeskyttelse^[1].

I forbindelse med markedsføring på internettet gælder allerede i dag en rækker love, der indeholder forbrugerbeskyttelse. Det drejer sig især om markedsføringsloven, aftaleloven, købeloven, kreditaftaleloven og lov om visse forbrugeraftaler. I relation til betalinger over internettet har betalingskortloven betydning, ligesom reglerne for databeskyttelse har betydning.

Markedsføringsloven

Markedsføringsloven er en generel lov, der gælder for al markedsføring, der er rettet mod danske forbrugere. Markedsføringsloven gælder derfor også for markedsføring over internettet^[2], herunder udbud af markedsføringsspil, og – i det omfang en lovændring giver adgang til at udbyde pengespil på internettet – også danske udbydere af pengespil.

Af speciel betydning er reglerne i markedsføringslovens § 1 om god markedsføringsskik^[3], § 2 om vildledning, § 2 a om sammenlignende reklame og §§ 6-9 med de såkaldte markedsføringsforbud (tilgift, mængdebegrænsning, rabatkuponer og købsbetingede præmiekonkurrencer med tilfældighedspræg).

I regeringens lovforslag L 213 1999-2000^[4] til ændring af bl.a. markedsføringsloven indføjes en ny § 6 a om uanmodet henvendelse til bestemte aftagere ved brug af elektroniske kommunikationsteknikker.

Efter forbrugeraftalelovens § 2 er det forbudt at rette uanmodet personlig eller telefonisk henvendelse til forbrugere med henblik på indgåelse af aftaler (“opt in-løsning”). Der gælder enkelte undtagelser fra forbudet – bl.a. er salg af avisabonnementer og forsikringer undtaget. Aftaler, der er indgået i strid med forbudet, er ikke bindende for forbrugeren, og den erhvervsdrivende kan endvidere straffes med bøde for at overtræde forbudet. Disse regler i forbrugeraftaleloven foreslås ikke ændret.

For at opfylde fjernsalgsdirektivet og teledirektivet stilles der krav om forudgående samtykke, når en erhvervsdrivende via opkaldsautomat eller telefax retter henvendelse til en forbruger eller en anden fysisk person i markedsføringsøjemed. Efter lovforslaget stilles der også krav om forudgående samtykke i den situation, hvor en erhvervsdrivende via opkaldsautomat eller telefax retter henvendelse til en juridisk person, herunder en offentlig myndighed, i markedsføringsøjemed.

Tilsvarende foreslås der en tilsvarende “opt in-løsning” for anvendelse af elektronisk post til markedsføring over for fysiske og juridiske personer. Et samtykke skal være konkretiseret i den forstand, at det klart og utvetydigt fremgår, hvad der meddeles samtykke til. Et samtykke til markedsføring ved brug af de her nævnte fjernkommunikationsteknikker kan imidlertid være affattet forholdsvis bredt. Et samtykke skal også være informeret. Den, der giver samtykket, skal således være klar over, hvad han meddeler samtykke til. Hvis et samtykke alene fremgår af den erhvervsdrivendes standardvilkår, kan det kun anses for givet, hvis det har været fremhævet over for den pågældende.

Med henblik på at opfylde fjernsalgsdirektivet og teledirektivet forslås der en “opt out-løsning” for så vidt angår alle andre midler til fjernkommunikation end opkaldsautomat, telefax og elektronisk post. Der skal indføres en ordning, hvorefter fysiske personer – hvad enten de er forbrugere eller erhvervsdrivende – effektivt kan modsætte sig direkte markedsføring over for dem.

Tilsyn med markedsføringsloven

Tilsyn med markedsføring, der krænker forbrugere, er i Danmark i al væsentlighed overladt til offentlige myndigheder. Efter markedsføringslovens § 15 fører Forbrugerombudsmanden tilsyn med, at loven overholdes, navnlig ud fra hensynet til forbrugerne. Dog kan enhver med retlig interesse deri, f.eks. en konkurrerende virksomhed, brancheorganisation, gå til Sø- og Handelsretten i København for at få nedlagt et forbud mod ulovlig forhandlerpræmiering. Man kan også søge at få nedlagt et foreløbigt fogedforbud ved fogedretten, der så efterfølgende skal følges op med en egentlig forbudssag ved Sø- og Handelsretten i København.

Forbrugerombudsmanden skal efter markedsføringslovens § 16, stk. 1, ved forhandling søge at påvirke de erhvervsdrivende til at handle i overensstemmelse med god markedsføringsskik. Efter stk. 2 kan Forbrugerombudsmanden afslutte en sag ved, at den erhvervsdrivende giver et skriftligt tilsagn om i fremtiden ikke at lave tilsvarende kampagner. Sker det alligevel, kan Forbrugerombudsmanden meddele fornødne påbud for at sikre, at tilsagnet overholdes.

Efter markedsføringslovens § 19, stk. 2, kan Forbrugerombudsmanden efter forgæves forhandling meddele påbud ved klare lovovertrædelser. Overtrædelse af et påbud er strafbart. En erhvervsdrivende, der har fået et påbud af Forbrugerombudsmanden, kan skriftligt anmode om, at påbudets lovlighed prøves ved Sø- og Handelsretten i København, men indbringelse af påbudet har ikke opsættende virkning. Retten kan, efter anmodning fra den erhvervsdrivende, ved kendelse tage stilling til, om den aktivitet, som påbudet angår, alligevel kan fortsættes.

Efter markedsføringslovens § 18 kan Forbrugerombudsmanden udtale sig om sit syn på lovligheden af påtænkte markedsføringstiltag, medmindre en stillingtagen giver anledning til særlig tvivl eller der i øvrigt foreligger særlige omstændigheder. En forhåndsbesked om, at en kampagne ikke er i strid med markedsføringsloven, er ikke nogen godkendelse. Forbrugerombudsmanden vil dog ikke på eget initiativ kunne gribe ind over for en foranstaltning, der er dækket af forhåndsbeskeden og iværksat inden rimelig tid efter dennes afgivelse.

Nogle af markedsføringslovens bestemmelser (§ 2 om vildledning, § 2 a om sammenlignende reklame og de særlige markedsføringsforbud i §§ 6-9) er strafferetligt sanktioneret med bødestraf, og Forbrugerombudsmanden kan anmode anklagemyndigheden om at anlægge straffesager.

Forbrugerombudsmandens mulighed for at gribe ind er altså traditionelle offentligretlige reguleringer. Det er almindeligt antaget, at som udgangspunkt er offentlige myndigheders kompetence i følge lovgivningen traditionelt set begrænset til handlinger inden for territoriet eller handlinger med virkning på den pågældende myndighedslands territorium. Tilsvarende antages for Forbrugerombudsmandens indgrebsmuligheder over for grænseoverskridende markedsføring.

Når det vurderes, om en virksomheds reklamemateriale på internettet kan siges at være foretaget i Danmark – og dermed underlagt de danske regler, herunder markedsføringsloven – må to kriterier være opfyldes^[5]:

• Reklamerne skal være tilgængelige og have relevans for danske forbrugere og
• der lægges vægt på, om virksomheden har en så stor kommerciel aktivitet i Danmark, at det er naturligt for virksomheden at iværksætte markedsføringsforanstaltninger i Danmark.

Er begge kriterier er opfyldt, anser Forbrugerombudsmanden sig kompetent til at håndhæve forbrugernes beskyttelsesregler overfor den pågældende udenlandske virksomhed og kræve, at de danske regler respekteres.

Grænseoverskridende markedsføring

Territoriebegrænsningen gælder også for direkte samhandel mellem forbrugere i ét land og erhvervsdrivende i et andet land, og denne problemstilling har fået øget betydning som følge af den teknologiske udvikling, særligt med brug af internettet og betalinger ved brug af betalings- og kreditkort.

Herved er det muliggjort, at erhvervsdrivende udbydere af pengespil i ét land nemt og billigt kan markedsføre spil til forbrugere i Danmark, uden at disse erhvervsdrivende er etableret i modtagerlandene, og uanset at det efter nugældende lovgivning er forbudt for danske udbydere at udbyde tilsvarende pengespil.

I tilfælde af markedsføring ind over grænserne kan der derfor opstå problemer med at håndhæve bestemmelserne i markedsføringsloven og anden særlovgivning, f.eks. spillelovgivningen.

Problemerne relaterer sig til tre spørgsmål:

• Hvilket lands lovgivning kan anvendes på en konkret situation, hvor der er tilknytning til flere lande?
• Hvilket lands domstole er kompetente til at behandle en sådan sag?
• Er det muligt at tvangsfuldbyrde afgørelser truffet af domstolene?

Lovvalgs- og fuldbyrdelsesspørgsmålet vedrørende den offentligretlige regulering er ikke direkte reguleret i markedsføringsloven (og typisk heller ikke i anden særlovgivning, der indeholder regler om markedsføring). Det traditionelle udgangspunkt er, at foranstaltninger foretaget i relation til eksportmarkeder ikke er omfattet af den danske markedsføringslov. Når en dansk virksomhed foretager handlinger alene med virkning i udlandet, antages den danske markedsføringslov traditionelt ikke at finde anvendelse. Omvendt vil en udenlandsk erhvervsdrivendes markedsføring i Danmark skulle opfylde den danske markedsføringslov, og det er i denne forbindelse uden betydning, om den erhvervsdrivende formelt set selv eller gennem andre har etableret fast forretningssted i Danmark.

Med opbygningen af EUs indre marked er denne traditionelle skarpe skelnen ikke længere holdbar.

Indgreb overfor markedsføring rettet imod Danmark hidhørende fra en anden EU medlemsstat skal ske under overholdelse af Amsterdamtraktaten og EU's øvrige retsakter. Med dette forbehold kan den danske markedsføringslov formelt set således anvendes på markedsføringstiltag over for danske forbrugere, som opholder sig inden for landets grænser.

Problemerne omkring, hvilken domstol der er kompetent, og eksigibilitet i afgørelserne, giver imidlertid problemer i relation til den faktiske håndhævelse af lovgivningen^[6].

Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets Direktiv 98/27/EF af 19. maj 1998 om søgsmål med påstand om forbud på området beskyttelse af forbrugernes interesser (forbudsdirektivet) vil give de af medlemsstaterne udpegede myndigheder og/eller organisationer mulighed for at kunne bringe ulovlig markedsføring til ophør ved, at de udpegede myndigheder/organisationer får søgsmålskompetence i de andre medlemsstater. Søgsmålskompetence gælder dog kun for de 10 direktiver, der er omfattet af direktivets bilag, men bilaget vil løbende blive udvidet i takt med vedtagelse af yderligere forbrugerbeskyttelsesdirektiver. For pengespil vil det især dreje sig om vildledningsdirektivet, direktivet om urimelige kontraktsvilkår og fjernsalgsdirektivet. Forbudsdirektivet anfører dog udtrykkeligt, at det ikke berører den internationale privatret med hensyn til lovvalg og fuldbyrdelse^[7], der normalt vil føre til anvendelse enten af lovgivningen i den medlemsstat, hvor overtrædelsen er begået, eller lovgivningen i den medlemsstat, hvor overtrædelsen har virkning.

Det er med vedtagelsen af forbudsdirektivet lagt til grund, at der i alle medlemsstater eksisterer adækvate retsmidler, der kan bringe en ulovlig praksis til ophør. Der skal derfor ikke ske en harmonisering af de forskellige medlemsstaters retsmidler eller retsplejesystemer. Anlægger en myndighed en forbudssag i en anden medlemsstat, er det denne medlemsstats retsmidler og retspleje, der stilles til rådighed for nedlæggelse af forbud og håndhævelsen af disse.

Forbudsdirektivet kræver som minimum, at hver medlemsstat udpeger en domstol eller administrativ myndighed, der har kompetence til hurtigst muligt at kræve, at overtrædelse af direktiverne i bilaget til forbudsdirektivet bringes til ophør.

Medlemsstaterne skal samtidig anerkende, at de myndigheder og organisationer, der er udpeget af en anden medlemsstat er kompetente til at indlede søgsmål efter forbudsdirektivet ved en domstol eller en administrative myndighed. Direktivet skal være implementeret senest 1. januar 2001.

Det uholdbare i udviklingen omkring tilsynet med internationale transaktioner førte til, at de nordiske forbrugerombud i 1991 fik etableret et internationalt samarbejde omkring markedsføringstilsyn, International Marketing Supervision Network (IMSN), der i dag omfatter de europæiske lande samt en række andre lande, fortrinsvis OECD-landene. Kommissionen er ved at etablere en undergruppe til dette tilsyn omfattende medlemslandene (IMSN Europe).

Netværkssamarbejdet forestår et praktisk samarbejde mellem tilsynsmyndighederne i de enkelte lande, og deltagerne i netværket har påtaget sig:

1. At iværksætte tiltag over for de under myndighedens jurisdiktion hørende virksomheder, som skader forbrugerinteresser i et andet land,
2. at videresende udenlandske myndigheders henvendelse til anden indenlandsk instans, hvis en sådan måtte eksistere (postboks responsibility) og
3. at udveksle informationer om markedsføringstiltag, hvor der er særlige problemer, og om tiltag – nuværende som fremtidige, der forventes at få særlig betydning.

Som det fremgår af ovennævnte, er myndighederne på nuværende tidspunkt ofte reelt ude af stand til at gøre noget over for virksomheder, som fra udlandet ønsker at markedsføre sig i strid med de gældende markedsføringsretlige regler eller andre særlige regler om markedsføringsregulering. Såfremt virksomhederne har et ønske herom, kan de blot etablere sig de rigtige steder, og mulighederne for at omgå lovgivningen er nærliggende.

I sidste ende er det alene internationalt samarbejde, som kan løse problemet. I denne forbindelse kan nævnes, at den danske forbrugerombudsmand ligeledes i 1991 foreslog en løsningsmodel, hvorefter lovgivningen i de forskellige lande skal tage hensyn til regler og skikke i andre lande, men uden at der foretages en total harmonisering af lovgivningsmodellerne.^[8]

Regler som ovennævnte ligger dog nok et stykke ud i fremtiden, og indtil da forsøges problemerne omkring grænseoverskridende markedsføring løst ved praktisk samarbejde tilsynsmyndighederne imellem under udnyttelse af de forskellige nationale lovgivninger.

Direktivforslag om elektronisk handel

Kommissionen har fremsat et forslag til direktiv om visse retlige aspekter af elektronisk handel i det indre marked. Formålet med direktivforslaget er at sikre et velfungerende indre marked, særlig den frie bevægelighed for informationssamfundets tjenester mellem medlemsstaterne.

Direktivforslaget indfører et afsenderlandsprincip på en række områder. Afsenderlandsprincippet bygger på et princip om hjemlandskontrol og gensidig anerkendelse og betyder, at en tjenesteyder alene skal overholde lovgivningen i det land, hvor tjenesteyderen er etableret. Direktivforslaget pålægger samtidig etableringslandet en pligt til at sikre, at tjenesteyderen overholder etableringslandets lovgivning – også når tjenesteydelsen leveres til en anden medlemsstat. Modtagerlandet vil således på de omfattede områder ikke kunne kræve, at en udenlandsk tjenesteyder overholder deres nationale lovgivning. Afsenderlandsprincippet i direktivforslaget har betydning for:

• Etablering, herunder krav om brug af en særlig selskabsform eller om, at virksomheden skal have en vis mindstekapital (kapitalkrav),
• krav om særlig uddannelse, praktisk erfaring, sprogkundskaber og lignende kvalifikationskrav, som stilles enten til virksomheden, dens ejere eller til de ansatte,
• begrænsninger i de aktiviteter, som virksomheden må udføre, herunder krav om at forskellige former for aktiviteter skal holdes adskilt, eventuelt i særlige selskaber,
• konkurrencebegrænsende adfærd, herunder om misbrug af dominerende stilling,
• krav til virksomheden og dens ansatte om tavshedspligt mv.,
• krav til markedsføringens form og indhold,
• krav om særlig information, vejledning eller rådgivning af kunden, som virksomheden skal give i sit markedsføringsmateriale eller forud for selv aftalens indgåelse og
• krav til selve tjenesteydelsens form og kvalitet.

Afsenderlandsprincippet påvirker endvidere den internationale privatret i forhold til aftaler, som ikke er forbrugeraftaler. Princippet vil i et vist omfang virke som en lovvalgsregel – dvs. en regel, der bestemmer hvilket lands lovgivning der skal anvendes i et konkret tilfælde. Regler om lovvalg findes i en række internationale konventioner. Hvis den internationale privatret udpeger lovgivningen i en anden medlemsstat end afsenderlandet, så kan det pågældende lands lovgivning kun anvendes, hvis den ikke hindrer den frie udveksling af informationssamfundets tjenester.

For forbrugeraftaler vil de eksisterende internationale lovvalgskonventioner fortsat gælde. Det indebærer i visse situationer, at det er afsenderlandets lovgivning, der gælder og i andre situationer, at det er modtagerlandets. Som hovedregel gælder, at hvis den erhvervsdrivende har markedsført sig over for forbrugeren, vil det være lovgivningen i forbrugerens hjemland, der finder anvendelse på det kontraktlige forhold. Hvis den erhvervsdrivende ikke har markedsført sig over for forbrugeren, vil lovgivningen i virksomhedens hjemland som udgangspunkt finde anvendelse. Det er endnu ikke afklaret, hvortil markedsføring på internettet er rettet.

Undtaget fra selve direktivforslaget er skatteområdet, registerregler, notarfunktioner, repræsentation af klienter i retssager og spil om penge (lotterier mv.). På disse områder vil ingen af direktivforslagets bestemmelser derfor finde anvendelse.

Urimelige kontraktsvilkår

I EU er gennemført et direktiv om urimelige kontraktsvilkår, som er implementeret i alle medlemsstaterne. Udbydere af pengespil skal derfor udforme deres forretningsbetingelser således, at de ikke indeholder urimelige kontraktsvilkår.

Fjernsalg

Reglerne om fjernsalg i den gældende lov om visse forbrugeraftaler (dørsalgsloven) omfatter ikke tjenesteydelser og dermed heller ikke spiludbydere.

Regeringen har som tidligere nævnt fremsat lovforslag L 213 1999-2000 med forslag til ændringer af bl.a. lov om visse forbrugeraftaler og markedsføringsloven. Efter lovforslaget vil “fjernsalg” omfatte en aftale om varer eller tjenesteydelser, som indgås mellem en erhvervsdrivende og en forbruger som led i et “system” for fjernsalg, der er tilrettelagt af den erhvervsdrivende. Det er endvidere en forudsætning, at parterne til og med indgåelsen af den pågældende aftale udelukkende anvender fjernkommunikation, således at de ikke mødes fysisk. Ved fjernkommunikation forstås anvendelse af enhver teknik, der gør det muligt at indgå aftaler, uden at parterne mødes.

Lovforslaget indeholder regler om oplysningspligt for den erhvervsdrivende, forbrugerens ret til at træde tilbage fra aftalen, den erhvervsdrivendes opfyldelse af aftalen, forbud mod levering af varer eller tjenesteydelser uden forudgående bestilling og visse begrænsninger i anvendelsen af fjernkommunikation til markedsføring.

Der gælder dog en række undtagelser, dels fra lovforslaget som helhed, dels fra enkelte bestemmelser. For spiludbydere gælder en særlig undtagelse fra bestemmelserne om fortrydelsesret, idet der ikke skal gælde en fortrydelsesret for aftaler om spil eller lotteri.

Derimod bliver spiludbydere omfattet af bestemmelserne om informationspligt:

• Den erhvervsdrivende skal i god tid, inden der indgås en aftale, give forbrugeren oplysning om bl.a. den erhvervsdrivendes identitet,
• den pågældende vares eller tjenesteydelses væsentligste egenskaber, varens eller tjenesteydelsens pris, eventuelle særlige leveringsomkostninger, betalingsmåden, leveringsbetingelserne, om der er fortrydelsesret og om, hvor længe den erhvervsdrivendes tilbud gælder,
• efter aftalens indgåelse skal forbrugeren have en bekræftelse af hovedparten af de oplysninger, der skal gives inden aftalens indgåelse,
• denne bekræftelse skal gives på papir eller på et andet varigt medium, der er til forbrugerens rådighed. Forbrugeren skal desuden have skriftlig oplysning om vilkårene for og fremgangsmåden ved brug af fortrydelsesretten samt oplysning om en fysisk adresse, hvor forbrugeren kan henvende sig med eventuelle klager, om eventuelle garantier og eftersalgsservice og om vilkårene for at opsige aftalen i tilfælde, hvor denne gælder indtil videre eller i mere end 1 år.

Betalinger over internettet

Betalinger fra forbrugere til arrangører af spil mv. skal kunne foregå på en måde, som overordnet sikrer forbrugerne sikkerhed og beskyttelse mod misbrug. Betalingerne må kunne ske på en let og hensigtsmæssig måde, således at der er sikkerhed for en korrekt betaling med en tilstrækkelig bevissikkerhed for begge parter for at betaling er sket, hvem der har betalt og til hvem det er sket, samt hvad der er betalt for.

Det må ligeledes i forbindelse med betalinger sikres, at der ikke kan ske manipulationer med data afgivet af forbrugerne, hverken ved selve transmissionen eller hos modtageren, ligesom der ikke må være muligheder for gennemførelse af uautoriserede betalinger. Data afgivet i forbindelse med en betaling må ikke benyttes til uvedkommende formål.

Betalinger med betalingskort – uanset om der benyttes kode, underskrift eller blot afgives oplysninger om kortnummer og udløbsdato – vil for danske forbrugere være reguleret gennem den gældende betalingskortlov. Denne regulerer tillige betalingssystemer, som ikke bruger betalingskort, men koder^[9].

Foretages der således betalinger via betalingssystemer, der er omfattet af betalingskortloven, stilles der efter loven krav om, at betalingssystemet er betryggende indrettet, herunder at der sikres brugerne bl.a. overskuelighed og beskyttelse mod misbrug. Det er bl.a. et krav efter loven, at der skal gives brugeren en kvittering. Betalingssystemer omfattet af betalingskortloven er underlagt tilsyn af Forbrugerombudsmanden.

Betalingskortloven indeholder regler, der sætter snævre grænser for anvendelsen af oplysninger om betalingstransaktioner, og der må herudover udfra et forbrugerbeskyttelseshensyn stilles krav om, at arrangøren af spillet ikke foretager en unødig registrering og anvendelse af oplysninger, som afgives af forbrugeren.

Efter det fremsatte forslag til en ny lov om visse betalingsmidler, som skal afløse betalingskortloven, sker der en udvidelse eller præcisering af lovens anvendelsesområder, således at de såkaldt elektroniske penge fremover tillige er omfattet af reguleringen. Det kan f.eks. være elektroniske småpenge, systemer lagret på en computor eller et chipkort.

Den kommende lov indeholder de samme elementer som betalingskortloven, selvom reglerne på flere punkter er forenklet og tildels lempet. Registerreglen er ændret, så den almindelige registerbeskyttelseslovgivning fremover får større betydning i betalingsforhold.

Beskyttelse af persondata

Den retlige beskyttelse af personoplysninger på internettet er underlagt samme regulering som i den fysiske verden. Den gældende lov for erhvervsdrivende og andre private er lov om private registre.

Loven siger overordnet, at erhvervsdrivende kun må registrere personoplysninger, hvis det foregår som et naturligt led i den normale drift i virksomheden. Hvis oplysningerne vedrører personers rent private forhold, kræver en registrering, dels at det er nødvendigt for virksomheden, og dels at den registrerede har givet sit samtykke. Endvidere indeholder loven et forbud mod videregivelse af de rent private oplysninger. Videregivelse af oplysninger til brug for en anden virksomheds markedsføring kan som udgangspunkt heller ikke finde sted. Den registrerede kan dog give samtykke til videregivelsen.

Reglerne for persondatabeskyttelse vil indenfor kortere tid blive ændret, når Danmark implementerer EU-direktivet.^[10]

I forhold til de nugældende regler kan man sige, at direktivet indebærer en vis liberalisering af adgangen til behandling af personoplysninger. Ændringen består hovedsageligt i en videre mulighed for enkeltpersoner til at give samtykke til registrering og videregivelse af egne personoplysninger.

5. How to start an online casino and sportsbook

Denne artikel er et eksempel på hvordan man på internettet kan hente hjælp til at starte et spil på internettet.

Denne og andre artikler om internetspil kan findes på http://www.iworldinteractive.com

How to Start an Online Casino and Sportsbook

By Timothy Chan
28th August 1999

The online gaming industry is a very lucrative business, some analysts estimated that the REAL figures to be nearing some 700 million to 900 million dollars in 1999. So many companies, presently mainly U.S. and European based, have expanded their business in this area. Many issues involved in the owning of a online Internet casino and sportsbook. Show Hand have outlined some important issues concerned and this should served as interesting readings for those interested to own and start their own online gaming ventures.

Online gaming business for everyone and anyone?

No, online gaming business is NOT for anyone and everyone. It is certainly not for the faint hearted, the ill prepared and under funded. Gone are the days where there are only just 4 to 10 Internet online gaming sites in 1995, whereby online gamblers and sports bettors have no much choices. Toady, there are more than some 200 online casinos in operation. If we take into account the “clones” and “gateways” there are more than 500 around. Sports Betting companies based in Costa Rica, which used to operate and target their business to the United States by telephone have today all expanded their influences on the Internet.

Furthermore, some U.K. operators such as William Hill and Sporting Bet have also expanded their presences on the Internet. Not to mention the entry of new players in the industry, most are licensed in the “gaming friendly” Caribbean countries such as Antigua, St Kitts, St Vincent, Belize etc. Toady, online gaming operators must not only have sufficient funds to meet the ever growing intense competition but also need to tackle the still unclear and uncertain laws and regulations in this area.

The laws and You

The growth of Internet gaming have caught many International communities off guard. Many countries have no laws and regulation to govern this form of gambling and most have legislation which do not adequately deal with internet gaming. Recently, Starnet Communication and Youbet, both publicly traded company on the OTC BB was raided by the Canadian and the U.S. authorities respectively.

On July 26 1999, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that World Interactive Gaming Corporation's (WIGC) website created a “Virtual casino within the user's computer terminal” in New York State and thus was subject to New York State laws, even though WIGC servers was located in Antigua where internet gaming is legal. State Supreme Court Justice Ramos ruled that “The act of entering the bet and transmitting the information from New York via the Internet is adequate to constitute gambling activity within New York State.”

These recent cases and action and reactions of the Canadian and the United States authorities have shown that most governments will not like or endorse this form of gaming since the main fears is the ability or the inability of the government or relevant authorities to govern and regulate effectively.

Do you have the bucks

Internet gaming business is never for the under funded or faint hearted. As an estimate, a operator must be prepared to invest a minimum of US$100 000 for software. Servers and hardwares infrastructure cost about US$10 000 to US$20 000. You will need to pump in another US$50 000 to US$100 000 for government licensing, another US$10 000 for offices, toll free numbers etc.

Monthly cost includes promotion and advertisement, staff cost, internet connection, telecommunication charges, merchant fees, charge backs, banking fees, courier and mailing fees etc. etc. Lets' estimated it near to monthly recurring cost of not less than US$20 000 per month.

Therefore an operator must set aside a “sunk” cost of US$160 000 and another annual budget of US$240 000 for monthly overheads just to get started. However there is a way to minimize monthly cost by engaging the services of 3rd party co-hosting, which still cost about US$120 000 to US$150 000 annually. In additional, operators must be prepared to set aside about US$240 000 or $360 000 annually for promotion and advertising.

Getting Started

For those who still intend on starting a business venture in the Internet gaming industry, there are a few issues to consider apart from the laws and regulations of your respective countries. The most important consideration is the cost of setting up. Operators will require a good software which consist of the “Games” and the “Back office” software. For a list of reputable software developers and suppliers.

Running an internet Gaming business is serious business. Investors must be able to and are prepared to commit in the long term development of the business. There is more to it than hooking up a server to the internet and accepting credit cards. Important requirements include:

1. A Web Site.
2. Gaming Software (Client and Server software).
3. Administrative Software (Back Office software).
4. Hardware and internet Connection.
5. Government Gaming license.
6. Banking Infrastructure.
7. Toll Free Telephone numbers.
8. Administrative Staff, technical staff and support staff.
9. Marketing Plans, promotion strategy and credibility plans.

The Games software differ from companies to companies. There are basically two kinds (1) the downloadable systems (Clients/Servers) and (2) the web based systems. Some companies have developed their games software to accommodate both systems so as to give players a wider choice. Operators must consider the merits and demerits of both systems before making a choice as the games software are very expensive and it is very difficult to change after making a wrong decision.

The cost of the software is about US$100 000 to US$300 000 depending on which software developers you choose to work with. However this cost will covers the next most important component that is the Back Office software. On top of the initial licensing fees, most software developers will requires a small percentage of profit sharing (some based on monthly net win and some on monthly gross win). This will range anything from 5% to 25% depending on the companies involved.

Gaming Software – Client / Server and Back Office software.

In terms of software, an online casino should contains three core components:

1. Clients software – this is the software that gambler interacts with the graphical user interface, and the “face” of the casino. This is the part of the software whereby customers needs to download from your website or by ordering a CD ROM.
2. Server Software – this is the main “brain” of your casino. It contains the Random Number Generator (RNG) and determines what cards are dealt to each player, where the ball lands in Roulette, where the reels stops in slots, and so on.
3. Back Office software – this is an important part of the systems which enables the management of players account, provides all information and operational tools necessary to run the business effectively and efficiently.

New Interactive Multiplayer Software

There are many software developers now have developed systems capable of multiplayer functions, chat rooms for player interaction and company like Cryptologic have developed software which cards can be dealt or wheel can be spin even without betting. Most players have indicated the preferences for multiplayer functions so as to be able to chat with different players from different countries as well as to build a bonding among players.

Your Web Site

Depending on which systems you choose, the software developers will help you to design a web site that contains your own themes, designs, graphics etc. For those who chooses a web based systems the web site is your actual casino access area whereby players can sign on an player's account and access immediately to play the games for Fun or for Real. Depending on what companies you work with, some games software is developed using Flash or Shockwave which requires players to download the associated software once before the games can be loaded from the internet. Companies that uses only Java languages do not need such additional download.

Operators that choose to use downloadable software or Client / Server, the website serves as three main functions of an internet casino. It is the front door of the casino. This is usually the initial point of contact between the potential gamblers and the operation. The website serves as a brochure, providing information about the various games offered, user registration information, and other details about the software used, company or owner of the casino, terms and conditions of play, issues regarding legality, regulations and laws etc. etc.

The web site is also the distribution mechanism for the casino software (Client software). Users can download the casino games, free of charge from the website. Alternatively, players can order a CD ROM version of the casino software from the website.

Web Site design Tips and Techniques

Recently, Show Hand have obtained valuable feedback from a group of net gamblers regarding web site design. Overall, integrity and security are the most significant barriers to playing Real money. Players look for the name behind the site, any endorsements and experiences. If there aren't any then don't expect the players to stay any longer than a few minutes.

Promotions and bonus are very important. Players are more willing to try and play if there are some perks or bonus such as free money, free trips, contest and many others.

Never use technical terms such as “Java” or “Downloads”. Players are afraid that they should download any virus along with the software. So keep the terms simple and place notes to explain in simple terms how a player can approach to download and explain in clear terms that the software are safe. In additional, educate in clear terms how to download and install the software plus the need to instruct clearly how to install the CD ROM.

Consider lower minimums and lower limits for play. Some casino's table games minimum is US$5, which is too high for some new comers. Try even US$0.50 cents as a start off to build confidences.

It is also important to have interesting graphics and sights. Players tend to be attracted to such graphics such as sounds, music, animations and even pictures and videos. The use of media improves the creditability of the site. However, do keep the site colours and image clean and fresh. Players generally prefer sites that are more “mature” in their designs.

Better Design = More Trust

The quality of both the graphics and the use of new media (e.g. Flash, Shockwave, Cold fusion etc.) make people trust the site more. If they think there's money spend in developing the sites and games, the owners are more likely to be credible and less likely to take your money and run.

Sports Wagering Systems.

The sportsbook program is web page solution. This is because of the need of constant updating of betting information such as odds, changes and fluctuation in odds, updating of new games and betting lines and so on.

Getting a sports betting software is easy, just pay for it. The greatest headache is in the operation of the sports betting business. There is the need to obtain betting lines (operators can subscribe to Don Best services just for US$500 per month to get real time opening lines). This is the easy part.

What happen if there are a swing, a certain team gets more bets than the other? What happens when there is a change of team players, weather conditions, injury etc. etc. How are you going to adjust the betting lines? This is the most difficult part, and operators needs the services of what we called

“Wise Guys”

Sports betting operators must also cater to telephone betting if operator want more bets. So that requires telecommunication facilities and telephone operators in the hundreds, operating 24 hours (maybe).

Next it is important to have monthly contest, bonus promotions and a very low minimum such as US$5 for a bet. Some sportsbook requires a minimum deposits of US$200, which is a great obstacle to wager for most players.

Hardware and Internet Connection and government license

The hardware requirements are directly related to the size of the operation you wish to run. As your user base expands, you should be able to upgrade the hardware to accommodate the increased user levels. The cost of hardware and internet connection is not cheap. internet connection using T1 cost about US$5000, whereas a T3 connection cost U$20 000 upwards.

Any casino operation will encounter legal issues. An operator will need to find a “gaming friendly” country or state to locate the servers. This usually means obtaining a gaming license from the local government. The cost varies from country to country, maybe from US$50 000 onwards.

The requirements for application are:

1. Letter of recommendation from a local attorney or some reputable individual or firm in respects of the company seeking to be licensed and it's principal shareholders.
2. An official police record from the country in which the applicant permanent resides and also from the country of the applicant's nationality, if different.
3. Listing of Corporate Principals and their Curriculum Vitae's.
4. Memorandum and Articles of Association.
5. Bank and Credit references.
6. Certificate and Affidavit of fairness of software by a reputable international chartered accounting firm or any qualified institution or professional acceptable to the licensing commission.
7. Security deposits and bankers guarantees.

There is however another options for the operators, that is to engage the services of 3rd party management and consulting companies to co-host the servers. Some companies also provides access to government license, toll-free numbers, Internet connection and offices and staff for a monthly fees. Some 3rd party companies in Costa Rica charges about US$10 000 for all the above services. Some companies even provide merchant account at a rate of 7% per transaction.

Banking Infrastructure, toll free numbers and customers services:

Online gamblers are playing real money. This means that the casino operator needs (a) mechanism(s) in order to accept money from the gambler, as well as pay it out. Method include cheques, bank wire, and credit cards. In additional, operators needs customers services staff and toll free numbers to operate 24 hours, 7 days a week. This is important, although not an absolute necessity, but is the best from whereby customers can reach you easily. Otherwise, a direct dial line is important to provide instant customers services. satisfied customers means repeated business and repeated business often leads to more referrals.

Administrative Staff, Technical & Support Staff.

The software developers usually provides technical support, based upon a maintenance and technical support contract. Still, operators needs technical staff in times of emergency such as break down of servers and other technical issues which is outside the scope of the software developers tasks. Technical and support staff is essential to the efficiency of the operation. It is inevitable that clients will enquire support and information relating to the casino software and the ways of the operation itself.

Administrative staff needs to be in place to handle day to day functioning of the casino operation. Such functions include banking, drawing up statements, answering non technical support calls and email, monitoring players, administering competitions and so on.

Marketing Plans, Promotion Strategy and Credibility Plans.

The Key to running a successful Internet casino can be summarized in two objectives:

1. 1. Getting Customers and
2. 2. keeping Customers.

The points are obvious and deceptively simple! In a competitive environment, it is important that operators have a clear idea as to who they are targeting as their clients and how they intend to keep them once they have signed on. The first objective can be reached through a carefully planned marketing campaign. Operators must be prepared to invest about US$30 000 to US$100 000 per month for mere marketing and promotion.

The second objective needs to be realized through good customers relations, service and promotions.

Operators can access into your casino's back office systems and check on each player's status such as amount wagered so far, total amount wagered, games that each players participated, active or inactive and so on. Casino licensee can also obtain the email address of each players and thereafter plan a one to one promotion and so on.

Credibility and integrity are absolutely crucial in running an internet casino and will become ever more important over time. It is imperative that operators appreciate this issue and have plans in place to promote the correct image to their clientele.

Operators can join a reputable 3rd party organization which promotes ethical, professional conduct and fair play so as to give players more creditability, for example the Interactive Gaming Council or the Ethical Online Gaming Association 

 

FODNOTER

1. Generelt kan henvises til Erhvervsministeriets redegørelse “Forbrugerens retsbeskyttelse i grænseoverskridende digitale net” (juni 1997) med en undersøgelse af de særlige problemer, som den stigende anvendelse af grænseoverskridende informationsteknologi rejser for forbrugerbeskyttelsen. Redegørelsens kapitel I (der kan hentes på Erhvervsministeriets hjemmeside under nyheder og facts: www.em.dk) indeholder en beskrivelse af de centrale og principielle problemstillinger, handel på internettet rejser for forbrugerne. Flere af de skitserede problemstillinger er relevante i forbindelse med markedsføring og udbud af spil på internettet, især for spil om penge med indskud.

2. Forbrugerombudsmandens orientering fra december 1999 om markedsføringsloven og internettet.

3. Om god skik på internettet kan henvises til “Fælles holdning til handel og markedsføring på internettet og i tilsvarende kommunikationssystemer” fra de nordiske forbrugerombudsmænd, december 1998.

4. Lovforslaget har til formål at gennemføre Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets Direktiv 97/7/EF af 20. maj 1997 om forbrugerbeskyttelse i forbindelse med aftaler vedrørende fjernsalg og Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets Direktiv 97/66/EF af 15. december 1997 om behandling af personoplysninger og beskyttelse af privatlivets fred inden for telesektoren (teledirektivet).

5. “Forbrugernes retsbeskyttelse i grænseoverskridende digitale net” (Erhvervsministeriet 1997).

6. Det er da også hævdet, at det kan stride mod generalklausulen i den danske markedsføringslov, såfremt der fra Danmark på udenlandske markeder udøves markedsføring, som er i strid med de internationalt alment accepterede anbefalinger, bl.a. i internationale kodeks. Dette synspunkt er imidlertid ikke prøvet ved domstolene.

7. EF-Doms-, Rom- og Lugano-konventionerne.

8. Dette forslag skulle navnlig ses på baggrund af, at det konkrete indhold i generalklausulen, § 1, kan variere med, hvilket samfund klausulerne anvendes i. Det er sandsynligt, at man fra EU's side i overensstemmelse med nærhedsprincippet vil fastholde, at der skal være plads til individuelle bedømmelser i de forskellige lande. Forbrugerombudsmanden foreslog derfor, at man anså de internationale kodeks for reklamepraksis som en del af gældende ret i hvert enkelt land. Endvidere henviste Forbrugerombudsmanden til konventionen vedrørende grænseoverskridende TV, som indeholder en regel om, at tv-reklamer, der retter sig specielt imod seerne i et andet land, ikke må omgå dette lands regler om fjernsynsreklamer. Denne regel kunne give grundlag for en mere generel regel, hvorefter det i de enkelte landes lovgivning skulle være bestemt, at markedsføring fra et land til et andet skulle ske i overensstemmelse med modtagerlandets lovgivning. Retshåndhævelsen af reglerne kunne ske ved at give myndighederne i modtagerlandet såvel som myndighederne i afsenderlandet mulighed for at intervenere for at hindre brud på lovene.

9. I december 1996 har Forbrugerombudsmanden udarbejdet Retningslinier vedrørende fjernsalg m.v. i betalingssystemer med betalingskort (bilag 3).

10. Europa-Parlamentet og Rådets direktiv 95/46/EF af 24. oktober 1995 om beskyttelse af fysiske personer i forbindelse med behandling af personoplysninger og om fri udveksling af sådanne oplysninger.