France Makes Online Gambling Legal
October 13, 2009
We knew it was coming, and many could not wait for the day when they could say that France had legalized online gambling. It has been a long and hard road for the online gambling operators who have sought to offer their services within the country of France. However, now it seems as though all of their waiting has paid off for them as France has finally decided to make it official, and to make online gambling legal.
The country has allowed online gambling in the form of a monopoly where only those companies located within France could offer gambling services to their citizens. The European commission and the European Union have long worked to attempt to get France to open its borders and to demolish that monopoly, and they have been working with the country to make a fair and equitable switch for them.
Now that the borders have been lifted and online gambling is no longer going to be a monopoly within the country, many British companies are vying for those first online gambling licenses that will be offered. William Hill, 888 Holdings, Party Gaming, and SportingBet have all expressed an interest in offering their services to France’s citizens.
However, even with this bill that will be legalizing and regulating the online gambling industry within the country, these laws will not come into force until as late as next June. There is also the fact that those countries that choose to operate within France’s borders will also be facing very high tax rates which means that many of those who are considering entering the market may find themselves unable to do so.
