France to open up online betting in 2009

France will start to regulate and open up its online betting market from Q3 in 2009 after agreeing with the EU to open up the market, Budget Minister Eric Woerth said recently

Woerth has been meeting with Internal Markets Commissioner Charlie McCreevy on steps to avert legal action against France by the EU over their tight reins on online gambling.

Brussels had issued France with a final notice to ammend its online gambling rules or be taken to the European Court of Justice.

"We're starting up a step by step easing of restrictions on online betting, which we have presented to the EU," M. Woerth said

France has two gambling related monopolies -- PMU for horse racing and Francaise des Jeux for lotteries.
But EU authorities are holding fire for details- court action may still be on the cards.

The French Government wants to protect its take from the gaming sector, which is estimated at €5.3 billion euros, but legal action has been threatened against France since the summer of 2007.
"We want to free up the online casino market as well as poker, roulette and black jack," he said.

Woerth said licenses would issues with tight controls in mind on areas such as prevention of minors playing, avoidance of gambling addiction, and tightly controlled advertising and money laundering prevention.
The EU's top court, the European Court of Justice, has stated that gambling firms registered in one EU counrty should be able to run their businesses and market across the entire European Union (twenty-seven states).
Up until now France has refused to issue gambling operators licenses, citting a requirement to protect consumers and put a halt to online crime, an argument that they have been having difficulties justifiying to the EU.

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