No level playing field in France

We reported on September 6th that France was trying to come into line with EU legislation by changing it’s gaming laws but then France would not be France if it could not do so by somehow favouring it’s own industry.  It is true to say that legislation has not yet been passed but there is already an attempt to ban online gambling in games of luck even though state owned companies are allowed to offer those. What constitutes games of luck is also not yet clear but it seems that Poker, Horse Racing and Sports betting are games of skill! The original requirement to have a presence in the country to obtain a license seems to have been dropped under pressure from the EU but companies located in “Tax Havens“  will still be banned which will exclude those located in Gibraltar thus ruling out Ladbrokes and  Bwin . According to Friedrich Stickler, President of European Lotteries, “We do not need companies that place making profit over social and public order concerns and leave it to national governments to deal with the social costs.“ In another move, sports betting exchanges will also be banned which rules out Betfair and in yet another move legal proceedings are being brought against a number of gaming companies already active in the market claiming that they are acting illegally. The damages sought are minimal but the issue is one of guilt as the French Government is unlikely to issue licenses to companies that have been found to have acted illegally.

It seems the The French do not  like a level playing field.