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France Offers Conditional Proposal to Liberalize
Online Gambling Laws
by Tommy Davis Onlinecasinosworld.com
November 21,
2007
While France makes efforts to liberalize its online gambling industry,
certain foreign internet betting companies have expressed disapproval of
France's proposals to "regulate". The most outspoken disapproval came from the
Managing Director at Stanleybet International, John Whittaker, who is now
calling upon the European Union's Internal Market and Services Commission,
Charlie McCreevy, to reject France's proposal.
Commissioner McCreevy certainly has not been shy in the
past about pressuring France and other EU member states to
liberalize their online gambling laws. The outspoken
Commissioner has been essential to the amount of
liberalization that has taken place in Europe up until this
point, which is precisely why Whittaker is turning to McCreevy
now that France is trying to wiggle its way around EU laws.
Whittaker and Stanleybet have instigated two key decisions by
the European Court of Justice, which have helped pave the way
for putting an end to the notoriously monopolized gambling
industry in Europe.
As for France (who operates two of these notorious
monopolies), they are essentially trying to hold onto half of
their monopoly. France operates two different gambling
companies - the PMU and Francaise Des Jeux. The PMU is charged
with overseeing the pools-betting market in France and
Francaise Des Jeux is charged with regulating fixed-odds
betting in France. The proposal by French authorities to the
EU is that they will liberalize their pools market only if
their fixed-odds market is left alone.
As you might surmise, Stanleybet is in the fixed-odds
betting business. Although their online assets have been sold
to the UK-based William Hill, Stanleybet International
continues to reap success in the land-based betting market of
Europe, especially in Germany and Italy.
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