Industry News - France

Eurosport Gains EU Clearance For Online Betting Tie-Up

19/02/2009: The European Commission has waived objections to the sports broadcaster Eurosport forming an online sports betting subsidiary with a French media and investment group after the venture, SPS Betting, was adjudged not to breach EU merger regulations. The EU’s green light comes as SPS awaits the outcome of its application for a remote gambling licence in Alderney.

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French Casino Sector Boosted By Poker Decree

14/01/2009: France’s ministry of home affairs has authorised French casino operators to organise Texas Hold’em poker tournaments outside of their casino venues for the first time under a new decree signed just before Christmas. Poker games had been restricted to inside casinos under a law from 2007.

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Doubts Emerge Over Viability Of French Regulation Plans

09/01/2009: Details have emerged over the Christmas period about how the French gaming market may look in a year’s time – but some of the details will have observers worrying about whether a newly regulated market will even be viable. Meanwhile, there is renewed pressure on the French government to allow slot machines into the country’s bars in order to retard the pace of closures.

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French Cabinet To Receive Online Gaming Bill In January, Claims Minister

19/12/2008: The MP charged with formally presenting France’s online gambling law to parliament has told a French newspaper a bill is likely to be put before the French cabinet in January, and then examined by National Assembly members towards the end of March.

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French Presidency Wary Of Bouncing Czechs

26/11/2008: With the French EU presidency’s report on domestic gambling policies now circulating, France’s bureaucrats will today move to shape the next stage of discussion of their findings in Brussels. But with the Czech Republic set to assume the EU presidency in five weeks the pressure is on to see whether the Czechs, who have expressed indifference, can be persuaded to tangle with the issue of gambling.

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New Entrants Confront France’s Status Quo

24/10/2008: In a follow-up to the 2007 landmark conference that heralded the opening of the French online gambling sector, a gathering in Paris yesterday pushed on with outlining the framework for a new regulated market. But private operators will still have their lobbying work cut out to ensure that online casino games are included, and that the interests of France’s sporting and betting groups are not harmed.

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Francaise Des Jeux Appoints Advisor For Privatisation

12/09/2008: Merrill Lynch has been picked as the sole advisor to La Francaise des Jeux, pending the French Government’s decision to sell its stake in the national lottery operator.

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France Preparing For Gambling Rethink

09/04/2008: Budget Minister Eric Woerth has told the French press that he will advise President Sarkozy to proceed with a ‘controlled opening’ of France’s online gambling market to private operators. Whilst questions surrounding online casino games, betting on sports events and the existing pari-mutuel horserace betting system have yet to be answered by officials, observers believe that the French government is keen to formulate a clear course of action before the summer.

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Paris Court Rules Against Bookmakers In Football Trademark Dispute

12/02/2008: A French Court has found that bookmakers Unibet and William Hill exploited the name of Italian football club Juventus for commercial purposes whilst promoting bets on a 2005 Champions League match between the Italian club and Real Madrid. The French verdict contradicts a ruling delivered earlier by a court in Belgium and is likely to be appealed.

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Online Firms Boosted By French Court’s ECJ Check

21/01/2008: A French appeal court’s decision to assess whether France’s betting laws are compatible with EU law is being seen by many as the first step on the road towards a possible liberalization of gaming in France later this year.

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