Online Casino, casinos

On the 5th of May a conference on the opening up of online gaming, organised by the Yvelines  Member of Parliament, Jacques Myard, took place. All the major participants in internet gaming were present, such as Christophe Blanchard-Dignac ( Chairman and CEO of the Française des Jeux), Xavier Hurstel ( Director General of the PMU), Jean-Francois Lamour (member of the National Assembly Finance Commission) and Pontus Lindwall (Chairman and CEO of Betsson), to name a few. The aim of  the meeting was to explain the main outline of the future opening up of the world of internet gaming, whether it's horse racing, online poker or sports betting. As regards the online casinos there's a complete black-out. So the French casino owners decided to intervene and press charges against the online casino websites. In fact, Barriere Casinos, Joacasinos and Tranchant decided to bring certain online gaming sites, which they claim are illegal, such as Unibet, Bwin, Sportingbet and 888  before the courts. These three actual French casinos complain about casino websites, which don't have French gaming licences and which offer their services to French players without any fear of repercussions.

As outlined by the chairman and CEO of the Tranchant group, this action hopes to “ re-awaken public opinion”, which is inactive against the many casinos popping up on the web, some of which have European gaming licences, mostly Maltese or from Gibraltar. Tranchant wants the operators penalised when the French gaming licences are opened to operators who will conform to the rules.

The main absentee from this meeting between casino owners against the online gaming sites, is the Partouche group. In fact the leading French casino group didn't join with the other casino groups for the simple reason that it is illegally ( according to French law, editor's note) offering its casino services, poker and sports betting to French internet users. The Partouche group defied the state by launching its sites without waiting to obtain the French gaming licence and many casinos, such as the Gujan-Mestras Casino intervened to complain.

During the conference on the 5th of May, which had as its theme “Cash Gaming, the Internet and Community Law: How to Adapt the French Model?”, the different participants, of which many online casinos, poker, sports and horse betting sites, had difficulty understanding how the French state was going to put into place a licencing system on the 1st of January 2010 while many different phases are still necessary. There's a very strong chance that the first gaming licences won't see the light of day in seven months but rather much later than that. Until then the casino owners will have the time to complain and to try to be heard... but in the meantime the online casinos will continue to vaunt the merits of their bonuses, their live dealers and other specifics. To be continued.....

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