Nouvelles de l'industrie - France

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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France Puts Mr Bookmaker Prosecution On Hold

17/12/2007: On Friday December 14, the French court suspended any legal decision relating to prosecutions of the operators of the Mr Bookmaker website until the European court gives clarity on the compatibility of national and European laws. Director Didier Dewyn will now have to wait to find out if he is to face any penalties for organising “illicit lotteries and acceptance of illegal bets” or whether charges will be dropped.

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France’s Lottery Finances Raise Concern

22/11/2007: While France’s horse racing monopoly, the PMU, has been judged to have gained in stature throughout the recent discussions on the liberalisation of the French betting market, the state–owned monopoly operator La Française des Jeux (FDJ) has fared less well. Thanks to a new book highlighting its financial workings, and the announcement of new online competition from one of France’s leading casinos, FDJ is under mounting pressure.

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France Not Ready For Fixed-Odds Betting Warns Budget Minister

07/11/2007: France’s Budget Minister Eric Woerth met with the European Commission yesterday afternoon and reassured Brussels that no further actions would be taken against foreign operators in France, such as those that led to the recent arrest of Unibet CEO Petter Nylander. However, Woerth’s visit took place against the background of comments in the French press that his Government is unprepared to even allow fixed-odds horserace betting in their domestic market.

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France’s Government Sounds Call For Betting Reforms

18/10/2007: A betting revolution could at last be on the cards in France. Yesterday in Paris a watershed conference, supported by several government ministers, gave the first clear indications of French government thinking on reform for the sector.

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Trucy To Chair French Liberalisation Talks

19/09/2007: After years of defending its borders from the threat of overseas gaming operators, it appears that France is preparing for a major change in its legislation, with the discussions being framed at a high-level conference next month.

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French Betting Market Set For “Controlled Opening”, Say Reports

13/09/2007: A French newspaper reports that, in the wake of intensified pressure from the European Commission, the Sarkozy government is preparing to relax restrictions currently applied to online sports betting but will insist upon maintaining a certain degree of control over foreign-based operators.

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European Commission Tells France To Modify ISP Provisions

26/07/2007: The European Commission has issued France with a Detailed Opinion urging the French government to modify the law that obliges internet service providers (ISPs) to warn customers against the use of foreign online gambling sites.

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