French Bill Will Give Boost to Online Gambling
September 30, 2009
The French allow online gambling within their country, they just don't want anyone from outside to participate. They have run an online gambling monopoly for awhile and it has worked out rather well for them. However new legislation that they are looking to pass will change that by opening up the market to other countries.
Early next month the French Parliament will be voting to open the online gambling market within their country. The bill would allow other countries to offer sports betting and online poker specifically to their residents. This is exciting news for those online gambling companies in the United Kingdom and elsewhere that have been hit hard by the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
Currently the French have a monopoly on online gambling and only those services that are offered by Groupe Francaise des Jeux and Pari Mutuel Urbainhas are accessible by French citizens. Those various online gambling operators such as William Hill and 888 Holdings are excited by the move because they currently offer their services at other European countries but have been avoiding France so as not to get caught up in the legal hassle.
There are, of course, those offshore online gambling operators that have been offering their services illegally to French citizens for some time now. More than 75% of the wagers currently placed in France at online gambling sites are done through these offshore accounts. By opening new sites to their citizens, the French are hoping that they will turn away from the illegal operators and put their money in those that are licensed within the country.
