No Games of Luck for French Online Casino Gambling

October 23, 2009 | News Category: Gaming Law

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Just when it seemed that online gambling was going to be opened up non-French online gambling operators, and that France was going to be following the guidelines as laid out by the European Commission (EC), some new information has come to light.

France is planning to open up their online gambling market to foreign online gambling operators, however, some interesting guidelines have now been introduced. These new rules may well put France at risk, once again, of charges by the European Commission for infringement of the European Union’s free trade laws. The new rules certainly seem to be discriminatory, and may well be favoring domestic operators over foreign online gambling operators.

The new rule introduced by France is that online casinos, and other forms of online gambling that may be brought into France, will not allow games of luck to be offered. Only games of skill will be allowed when playing online gambling games in France.

The land-based casinos that are licensed in France at this time, offer a full suite of casino games, which includes both luck and skill-based games, but may not offer their services online.

Interestingly, France includes both horse racing and sports betting under their definition of skill-based gambling games. There is not a clear definition, or any kind of consensus, as to what constitutes a game of luck, or a game of skill, both in France, and in other places, such as the United States. Despite this, many states and countries define what is legal or illegal as far as gambling is concerned, based on the criteria of luck and skill-based games.

French officials show no sign of being willing to change this new addition to their online gambling laws. They are certainly not keen to respond to the EC’s complaints, and feel that the English bookmakers and the online casino industry in general are trying to bend and twist the law so as to force their online gambling services onto all the nations making up the European Union.

Interestingly, a French online casino site, Française des Jeux, of which 72 percent is owned by the French government, offers both games of luck and of skill. Française des Jeux receive no interference from the government as to which online casino games they may offer to their patrons.

At the moment, French online casino regulations are offering online gambling licenses to as many as 100 prospective operators. The requirements, however, do not make it easy for the prospective online casino operators. There are both physical and financial issues that are seen by those wishing to enter the French market. These deterrents seem to have been designed to keep them out of the French market, even though they are licensed with the EU.