LONDON, June 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Betfair will be applying for a licence in the Netherlands at the firstopportunity following the decision published by the European Court of Justicethis morning.

The court's confirmation of Betfair's long-held belief that sportsbetting licences in the EU should be allocated in a transparent and equalmanner allows Dutch consumers to benefit from competitive bids for the Dutchmarket.

However, the ruling did not reflect the realities of online betting,stating that any online offering other than the incumbent monopoly can berestricted irrespective of whether the operator is licensed in another EUMember State. Betfair maintains that making a distinction between differentEU licensed operators is confusing for consumers and is therefore out of stepwith present-day e-commerce.

The Court's reiteration of points from previous cases that online bettingis more dangerous than traditional offline forms is made without foundation.

Betfair's Director of European Public Affairs, Tim Phillips, said:"Today's judgment once again demonstrates the need for the EuropeanCommission to take a lead on this issue, so that we can separate fact fromfiction and settle the online gambling debate once and for all.

"Recent rulings from the ECJ have not addressed key consumer concerns andunfortunately today's in the cases of Betfair and Ladbrokes are no different.Whilst the confirmation that licences must be allocated fairly is a new andwelcome development, these rulings do not address the realities of onlinebetting.

"Until we get a clear lead from the Commission, gambling consumers willcontinue to be told that their preferred leisure activity is the only one inEurope which doesn't benefit from an open market. ECJ rulings are notaddressing the simple fact that consumer choice between regulated products isbeing dictated to in a manner which no other industry has to accept."

"The European Commission's announcement of a Green Paper on onlinegambling provides an opportunity to address these key issues."

This ruling acts as guidance for the Dutch court, which must now considerwhat has been provided by the ECJ and reach a final decision on the case.That is expected towards the end of 2010. This ruling has no impact onBetfair's operational position in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Council of State asked the ECJ to consider three issues:

        - Whether the Dutch State, which has a closed licensing system for sports    betting, is entitled to prohibit an operator such as Betfair, which is    licensed in another Member State, from accepting Dutch customers;        - Whether the Dutch State can offer a single monopoly licence in the way    that it has, bearing in mind the ECJ case law on Article 56 and the    principles of equal treatment and transparency in relation to the     allocation of licences; and        - Whether the Dutch State, having offered a single monopoly licence for    five years, can then refuse applications from other interested parties to    apply to hold that licence when the licence comes up for renewal.

About Betfair: (http://www.betfair.com)

Betfair is the world's biggest online sports betting company andpioneered the first successful betting exchange in 2000. Driven bycutting-edge technology, Betfair enables customers to choose their own oddsand bet even after the event has started. The company now processes over sixmillion transactions a day from its three million registered customers aroundthe world. In addition to sports betting, Betfair offers a portfolio ofinnovative products including casino, exchange games and poker.

Betfair has twice been named the UK's 'Company of the Year' by theConfederation of British Industry and has won two prestigious Queen's Awardsfor Enterprise, being recognised for Innovation in 2003 and most recently forInternational Trade in 2008.

Betfair currently employs over 2,300 people, principally in London, Maltaand Australia. The company is a licensed betting operator in the UK, andholds further licenses in Tasmania, Austria, Italy and Malta.

        For further information:    Mike Robb, Betfair    michael.robb@betfair.com    Tel: +44(0)844-871-0821