Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Corta Suprema di Cassazione (Italy) lodged on 9 February 2010 — Ugo Cifone v Giudice delle indagini preliminari del Tribunale di Trani

(Case C-77/10)

2010/C 100/42

Language of the case: Italian

Referring court

Corta Suprema di Cassazione

Party to the main proceedings

Applicant: Ugo Cifone

Question referred

The Court of Justice is requested to interpret Articles 43 and 49 of the Treaty establishing the European Union with reference to freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services in the sector of betting on sports events in order to establish whether or not those Treaty provisions permit national rules establishing a State monopoly and a system of licences and authorisations which, within the context of a given number of licences: (a) tend generally to protect holders of licences issued at an earlier period on the basis of a procedure that unlawfully excluded some operators; (b) in fact ensure the maintenance of commercial positions acquired following a procedure that unlawfully excluded certain operators (by, for example, prohibiting new licensees from locating their kiosks within a specified distance of those already in existence; (c) provide cases in which the licence may lapse with forfeiture of very large guarantee deposits, including the case in which the licensee directly or indirectly carries on cross-border gaming activities analogous to those under the licence.