On Stranger Tides of Regulation: In-House "Lawyering" in the European and US Online Gambling World

Martin Lycka, In-House Counsel, Betfair, United Kingdom

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Dr. Martin Lycka, LL.M. has worked in the Legal Department of Betfair since September 2009 focusing on EU and competition law as well as regulatory & licensing issues. Before joining Betfair Martin worked with Clariant SA, the Aliachem Group, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and Salans Europe LLP. He graduated from the Charles University in Prague in 2008 (summa cum laude) and obtained a LL.M. degree at the College of Europe in 2009. At the moment Martin studies at the College of Law London to qualify as a UK solicitor. He has authored more than 65 academic articles on EU and international law (including EU gaming law) and is co-author of two books. Martin is fluent in English, Spanish, French, German and Russian, Czech being his mother tongue.

Betfair is one of the world’s largest international online sports betting providers and pioneered the first successful Betting Exchange in 2000. The Betting Exchange, where customers come together in order to bet at odds sought by themselves or offered by other customers, has eliminated the need for a traditional bookmaker. Driven by world-leading technology the company now processes over five million transactions a day from its three million registered customers around the world. In addition to sports betting, Betfair offers a portfolio of innovative products including casino, exchange games, arcade and poker.”