The European Union is dragging its member states into the 21^st Century kicking and screaming.  The European Union has been very proactive in making sure that their members have acceptable laws regarding online casinos.  Like the United States and the several states that make it up, several member nations in the European Union have been desperately attempting to protect their personal gambling markets.

The fact that states and countries are desperate to protect their land based gambling establishments is not surprising.  Gambling is typically a huge money maker for governments.  Online casinos have no real territory and gambling dollars that usually stayed local are now going overseas to businesses in offshore territories. 

However, local government could be making money off of online casinos if only they would regulate and tax them.   Banning online casinos is highly impractical without censoring the Internet.

Several countries in the European Union have tried using the excuse that they are banning online casinos as a means of protecting the public.  That excuse has failed to hold water time and again in the very short history of online casinos.  Professional sports are still being plagued with illegal gambling scandals that involve online gambling.  The excuse cannot continue to be used in countries like Germany when prohibition continues to fail to protect the sport. 

The best way to protect the public and sports is regulation of online casinos and online gambling is regulation.  With regulations in place there is actually a body in charge of enforcing laws and violators have an official body to answer to.