French Lotto Goes International & Online

Published: Monday, April 03, 2006 Online-Casinos.com

FRENCH LOTTO GOES INTERNATIONAL & ONLINE

Apparently French restrictions apply only in one direction

French resistance to other EU nations offering gambling services to its citizens via the Internet does not appear to diminish French ambitions to do the same thing to other states - a February 17 decree by the French government allows the lottery to offer foreign clients online lottery betting via Internet.

The decree illustrates once again how far removed EU states are from a consistent and unanimous approach to issues where state monopolies are in force.

European legal experts were quick to comment on the decree. Thibault Verbiest, a lawyer in both Paris and Brussels specialising in NTIC, Media & Gambling for the ULYS Law Firm said: "The French Decree is just a catalog of good willingness, without any real obligations & duties. On top of that we can note that the FDJeux is now allowed to offer games abroad. How can the FDJeux not allow foreign operators to act on the French Market?"

The chairman of the European Betting Association (EBA) Didier Dewyn said: "Given the global nature of gambling, a monopoly cannot with certainty achieve efficient consumer protection. Rapid technological developments have brought down borders and globalised in an unprecedented way the provision of gambling services, creating common threats to consumers in all Member States. Only EU regulation of the gambling sector applying throughout the 25 Member States could ensure real and efficient consumer protection".