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FRENCH STILL CONSIDERING ONLINE GAMBLING REGULATION

Prime minister's office currently has the ball

The French government is still considering the implications of legalising online gambling under strict controlling measures, according to a report this week by the Dow Jones business news service. According to the report Prime Minister Francois Fillon's office is currently handling the issue and considering a study commissioned last November and handed in recently to government (see previous InfoPowa report)

Currently, all internet-based games involving money are outlawed in France, except for the state monopolies Francaise des Jeux and pari-mutuel (or pool betting) horse betting PMU. However, the French have come under increasing pressure from the European Commission to comply with the European Union treaty regarding free competition with other member nations.

The study identifies possibilities for opening up the presently exclusive French market: issuing licenses limiting online betting to sporting events; including betting on card games or licensing all games except lotteries.

Sources report that the study does not seem to envision wide-open Internet gambling in France. The study apparently claims that the legalisation of online slot machines would run contrary to France's "objectives of common interest," including the protection of gamers against addiction and the prevention of fraud and money laundering.