It seems that France may be following in the footsteps of the US when it comes to banning online casino gaming. A leading online casinos group has recently closed its French website without notifying its investors of its drastic move. Meanwhile, John Anderson, the former CEO of a prominent online casino firm, has been summoned for interview by the French authorities. This is prompting speculation that French authorities will decree online gambling against the law.
After the passing of the new law in the US, the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, last thing this particular online casino group and other online casinos firms need is yet more uncertainty over the legality of their operations. While current legal opinion says that online casino gaming is legal in the EU, Gallic members have been lobbying against this.
The French government controls two related gambling monopolies - PMU for betting and Francaise de Jeux for gaming, and the success of online casino gaming presents a threat to these gambling operations. It is believed that the French authorities' request to question one of the online casino group's John Anderson has something to do with a French football club sponsorship deal. It seems that like in the US, the law will not be friendly to online casino companies in France, and they will be facing a great deal of problems and uncertainty in this market as they have in the US. One can only wonder which country will be next to place the law against online gambling.
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