France Making Progress in Drafting Online Gambling Regulations

by Mira Patel, News Staff Writer

July 8, 2008

The word on the street is that France is coming around...coming around, that is, to online gambling regulation. While it has been a rocky road toward liberalization of France's gambling laws and defiant land-based casino gambling monopoly, progress has certainly been made. Largely due to the pressuring of the European Commission and Charlie McCreevy, France has expressed an increasingly less protective stance regarding gambling activities within and across its borders.

Also helping create the bridge toward better relations between Francaise des Jeux, the PMU and foreign online betting operators doing business with French citizens has been the Director of the French National Crime Commission, Alain Bauer, whose willingness to get things done has helped legislators draft guidelines for creating regulatory enforcement protocols, including audit procedures for online casinos.

Although any legislation is far from finished or being passed, several key regulatory issues have been resolved, including the licensing of gaming companies. Apparently, operators will be required to provide all necessary information to maintain the most transparent business operations possible, including information on company stock so as to prevent any "insider" trading.

Similar to the online gambling legislation drafted in South Africa, France will likely require all online bettors to pre-register for obtaining a personal identification number that must be obtained in order to participate in real money online gambling activities. Making the prevention of underage and problem gambling a top priority, France says they will be working with the European Commission to introduce the legislation and new regulations next year.

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