Online Casino Transfer: News - French Trio Head to Court

02/19/2010		Online Casino Style: News French Trio Head to Court
Home History Games News Dictionary		While the online gambling industry had just developed a secure sense in regards to the legalization of the French internet casino market, three companies have now decided to try to throw a wrench into the works, having filed litigation proceedings in the Paris Criminal Court to keep offshore online casinos … offshore. According to recent reports, spreading like wildfire through the internet gambling community, land casino operators Tranchant, Barrière and Joagroupe have banded together to target four major online gambling competitors, seeking to prohibit them from acquiring French gambling licenses. While the three operate a total of 104 live casinos between them, internet gambling is certainly not their jurisdiction. They contend that legalization will be detrimental to their revenue and business, however, and so are looking to prevent Sportingbet, Unibet, 888.com and Holding, and Bwin from making waves on French shores. They are relying on a small point to win the court case, declaring that the four have excluded themselves from license eligibility by setting up online casinos with French language capabilities prior to acquiring a license to operate. The issue is being marked as potentially significant, should other interests hope to further stunt the liberalization process in France. The operators are being accused of abusing the system and jumping the gun in a ‘deliberate and patent manner,’ demanding that the licenses be withheld for two years as punishment. Should the group of defendants lose the case, however, the firms would find themselves at a severe disadvantage, with the 24 months being dominated by other groups with permission to advertise. Around 100 online gambling operators have applied for French licenses, but only about 50 will be granted. "The case, which is likely to end Wednesday, comes two weeks before the French Senate is expected to back a bill authorizing private online gamblers to apply for licenses,” read an article in the Times newspaper on the case. “The legislation has already been approved by the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and is likely to come into force in time for the French to bet on the World Cup.”

02/19/2010

Online Casino Style: News
French Trio Head to Court

While the online gambling industry had just developed a secure sense in regards to the legalization of the French internet casino market, three companies have now decided to try to throw a wrench into the works, having filed litigation proceedings in the Paris Criminal Court to keep offshore online casinos … offshore. According to recent reports, spreading like wildfire through the internet gambling community, land casino operators Tranchant, Barrière and Joagroupe have banded together to target four major online gambling competitors, seeking to prohibit them from acquiring French gambling licenses.

While the three operate a total of 104 live casinos between them, internet gambling is certainly not their jurisdiction. They contend that legalization will be detrimental to their revenue and business, however, and so are looking to prevent Sportingbet, Unibet, 888.com and Holding, and Bwin from making waves on French shores. They are relying on a small point to win the court case, declaring that the four have excluded themselves from license eligibility by setting up online casinos with French language capabilities prior to acquiring a license to operate. The issue is being marked as potentially significant, should other interests hope to further stunt the liberalization process in France.

The operators are being accused of abusing the system and jumping the gun in a ‘deliberate and patent manner,’ demanding that the licenses be withheld for two years as punishment. Should the group of defendants lose the case, however, the firms would find themselves at a severe disadvantage, with the 24 months being dominated by other groups with permission to advertise. Around 100 online gambling operators have applied for French licenses, but only about 50 will be granted.

"The case, which is likely to end Wednesday, comes two weeks before the French Senate is expected to back a bill authorizing private online gamblers to apply for licenses,” read an article in the Times newspaper on the case. “The legislation has already been approved by the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and is likely to come into force in time for the French to bet on the World Cup.”