The battle to legalize gambling throughout the European Union took a twist this week when the European Court of Justice, or ECJ, ruled that the Netherlands could block online gambling operators from supplying unlicensed gaming.

The court said in its verdict: because of the lack of direct contact between consumer and operator, games of chance accessible via the Internet involve different and more substantial risks of fraud by operators against consumers compared with the traditional markets for such games."

The issue was first brought to the court after De Lotto, which held a monopoly over the Dutch market, charged Ladbrokes and Betfair with providing illegal online sports betting to Dutch consumers.

The non-profit organization the EGBA (European Gaming and Betting Association), which is made up of eight leading European online gaming operators, said that the Internet raised new questions that cannot be resolved through the judicial process.

It is for the European legislator to ensure that this IT-based medium which allows for the highest security standards warrants consistent customer protection and fraud control throughout the EU," EGBA Secretary General Sigrid Ligné said

Consumer rights group Right2Bet also slammed the decision, saying that the ECJ was out of touch with modern day consumers and that it came to its conclusion without any evidence.