Online Casino, casinos

The year 2010 promises to be quite rich in surprises. The online gaming market should open up this year in France even though there isn't any definite date yet. Planned for the 1st of January, then the first quarter of 2010 and after that “before the World Cup”, the gaming sector still isn't open to foreign operators and no one can give a precise date. Online poker, sports betting and horse racing will be legalised and the ARJEL will have as its mission to deliver the French gaming licences to the operators who wish to enter this area of gaming. As for casino games they aren't on the table.

One party should easily obtain the gaming licence from the ARJEL: the Francaise des Jeux (FDJ). To be more precise, one should say the Francaise des Jeux- Barriere. Not that the leading casino group in France has been bought out by the Francaise des Jeux but simply that the FDJ has just joined with the Barriere group to launch an online poker site. This poker trick by the FDJ which was smiling again in the year 2009 which saw its players' bets increase by 8.6% (thanks notably to the 3 Friday the 13th  dates in the year being close to 10 billion euros in bets, editor's note) and 2009 was a good year for the FDJ which had its best year for five years. The FDJ and Barriere are going to create a joint company and apply for just one licence from the ARJEL. These two leaders in gaming in France are attacking a sector that they don't know by launching an online poker site this year. It must be said that the risk is worth taking due to the potential of this enormous market which is worth several million euros every year. No less than 750,000 French people play in online poker rooms and this figure should expand greatly when the market opens up. In other words the FDJ and Barriere intend to walk away with the prize and not let this rich market pass them by.

But numerous operators involved in the internet poker market have gained unequalled experience and have a good advantage over the new poker rooms like the one being launched by the FDJ and Barriere. Rooms like Pokerstars, Fultiltpoker, Chilipoker have been offering players tournaments for a long time and certain rooms have been on the web for ten years. The FJD and Barriere's online poker room will have to take up this challenge even though its managers are counting on the players' knowledge of them and loyalty to encourage them to come and take part in a freeroll or buy in tournament.

The uploading of this new poker room on the internet will be a major challenge for the Francaise des Jeux and the Barriere group in the face of stiff competition which doesn't want to be outdone and which has an advantage over them. As for knowing how this new room will be welcomed by players one must wait for several months before knowing it. To be continued...

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