FRANCE: THE NEW GAMBLING PROMISED LAND
The controversial Sarkozy administration seems to be tired and fed up with the consistent monopoly of French gambling and is considering opening up online gambling through a open and competitive regime.
This is the follow up of a report that stirred the murky waters of French gambling starting last year; it highlighted the inconsistencies of French politics regarding the matter while also setting concrete proposals to remedy it.
The report, published and updated In November 2006 stated that French gamblers were behind in the development scale of their other European counterparts in terms of share of the household budget that is spent in games of chance.
The report also makes a statement on the compulsory identity control at casino entrances and horseracing that the French government instated as part of its help to the casinos, however the two companies that hold monopoly on such activity do not respect them.
But not all the insight this report gives revolves on the lack or participation of the two French monopolistic companies, it also proposes the creation of “The Observatory” an independent regulatory authority that would oversee gambling activity.
“The observatory” would also deal with the growth on gambling market in the French territory and the need to create gambling-addiction treatment and the ethical behavior of gambling sites.
Therefore and basing on this report, the Sarkozy administration has already entailed talks with the European Commission officials whom, in time, issued warning recommendations regarding monopolistic companies: Française des Jeux and PMU in past administrations.
Seems that Sarkozy’s administration will seek to comply with these warnings as well as make French online gambling more in accordance to European Commission statements and procedures.
If this is indeed the case, then it will mean that finally, France will be included in the free passage of trade and services between EU member nations and not only a viewer from afar as it has been for a long time.
However it seems that despite Sarkozy’s attempt to modify and insert France in the gambling activities that are developing in Europe, early this year a London-quoted Party Gaming closed its activities on the French market.
This could mean either that the Sarkozy administration is not that eager to participate in the EU trade as it has presented to the mass media and international press or that French monopolistic companies such as Fraçais des Jeux are seeking to stall this measure.
Written from Alejandra Ortega Jiménez.
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