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French Gaming Regulation Comes Under Pressure

European Gaming and Betting Association Welcomes Scrutiny

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France, which recently announced moves to regulate online gaming including poker, has been given one month by the European Commission to clarify and modify its draft legislation.

While the details of the Commission request remain unclear the European Gaming and Betting Association welcomed the move saying there were a number of troubling aspects to the proposed regulation. .

“It is clear that the French proposals fail to set the standard for legislating the sector” said Maarten Haijer, director of regulatory affairs at EGBA. "… the Commission underlines that online gaming and betting is a cross border economic activity where EC legal requirements prevail. It makes no sense to create a local Internet market in France. We welcome the Commission’s action and are confident that France will reconsider its proposal to avoid litigation”.

The EGBA believes the draft legislation only served to protect the existing French monopolies Francaise Des Jeux and PMU.

A number of online poker companies have recently developed strategic alliances in the French market.