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BRUSSELS (MarketWatch) -- A lobby group for European gambling organizations Tuesday asked the European Commission to overturn a German law barring most forms of online betting.

The European Gaming and Betting Association said Germany's ban violates European Union laws protecting the free movement of goods and services within the bloc. The German ban applies to all forms of Internet gambling except horse racing.

The commission, the E.U.'s regulatory arm, opened an investigation into the German law last spring. The commission's spokesman for internal market issues, Oliver Drewes, said the commission soon will decide whether Germany broke E.U. rules. He added that regulators are aware of the gambling group's concerns.

The commission and E.U. courts in recent years have ruled that the bloc's member countries can't restrict gambling businesses that operate freely in other states.