French casinos take on foreign operators

Four major gambling operators are in trouble with the French courts over providing “illegal competition” in the market. BWIN, 888, Sportingbet, and Unibet have all been taken to court, and could have to pay up a hefty fine if they are found guilty.

They were taken to court by three of the biggest casino groups in France: Barrière, Joagroupe, and Tranchant, as well as the Casinos de France trade union. Between them they run 104 casinos across France. They have taken the foreign operators to France for targeting French gamblers through using the French language on their Web sites. They have also claimed that the foreign operators are not doing enough to protect players and prevent problem gambling and money laundering.

There are strict rules for running a casino in France, and the claims are that the foreign operators are not sticking to these. As a result, the French casinos are claiming €1 million in damages and €30,000 in legal costs.

The French gambling market is soon to be liberalized, and this measure could have been taken to keep the big foreign operators out of the market for longer. The French casinos are calling for their licenses to be held for two years, which would clearly be a blow to the operators who hope to enter into the lucrative French market soon.


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