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France Still on Path to Regulate Online Poker and Online GamblingWed, Jan 30th, 2008 @ 12:00am Interactive Gaming News (IGN) reported a conversation held this week with Wes Himes, managing partner of public affairs consultancy Policy Action, about the direction France is taking towards regulating online poker and online gambling, to open the French gaming market now dominated by the French state-monopolies Francais des Jeux and Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU). The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has repeatedly ruled that any gambling or betting business legally established in one EU state can offer its services anywhere else in the 27-nation bloc. They also note that any restrictions can only be for reasons of general public interest, and only if uniformly applied. If a country violates those rules, the office of Charlie McCreevy, the internal market commissioner for the European Commission (EC), warns then prosecutes any violators. McCreevy has repeatedly challenged France to open their gambling market to other EU-based companies. His office has been meeting with French officials since Nov 2007 to try to find a solution to end the legal action the EC has underway against France, and before France takes over the EU presidency in June. "The French government has indicated following discussions with the European Commission a willingness to look at and possibly propose a regulated regime for the provision of online gambling and betting," Himes told IGN, a subscription-only newsletter put out by the River City Group. After last November's meetings, official spokesman Oliver Drewes noted that "A process of intense dialogue will be started on technical and political issues with the aim of meeting again in early February" (click here for related news). FRENCH REPORT HOW TO REGULATE ONLINE GAMBLING COMING Parallel to discussions between France and the EC, Himes also relayed to IGN that a French civil servant will "be drafting a report for sometime before the summer, which will provide a sort of background on the industry and most likely make some recommendations as to how to accommodate and regulate an online gambling market in France." Regarding rumors of a mid-March resolution, Himes opined, "Well, I think March 2008 might be correct for the report; but I think in terms of actually seeing legislation, we're quite far from there right now." Most recently, gambling as a whole received good news from French courts, when on January 18, the French court decided to determine whether the French national betting monopoly is compatible with EU rules, and placed the burden of proof on the French authorities to justify that their gaming's regulatory framework is consistent, proportionate and justified (click here for related news). Read Related Articles:
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