UNIBET EXEC SLAMS FRANCAISE DES JEUX (Update)

2 November 2007

French gaming monopoly hypocritical in explaining its involvement in Nylander arrest


With Unibet CEO Petter Nylander due to appear before a French judge today (Wednesday) following his arrest at Schipol airport last week, an official of the online gambling company came out with guns blazing against the actions of French gambling monopoly Francaise des Jeux, which instigated the circumstances leading to Nylander's arrest.

Western Europe manager for Unibet, Christophe Dhaisne, said that Francaise des Jeux has acted in a “hypocritical” manner in the issue.

Dhaisne was responding to a statement late last week from FdJ (see previous InfoPowa report) that the arrest of Petter Nylander was the result of the Unibet chief executive’s refusal to attend the original interview request made by the French authorities.

Dhaisne said: “The statement by Francaise des Jeux smacks of hypocrisy and is a public relations exercise. To claim that it is somehow the helpless victim of everything that has happened when it has been enforcing its monopoly status in France is the height of hypocrisy to say the least.”

The FdJ could not shed its responsibility for the part it played in Nylander’s arrest, because the complaint it made against Mr Bookmaker in 2003 is at the root of the Nylander arrest warrant, issued by a French judge, the Unibet manager added.

“The complaint comes from FdJ and [fellow monopolist] PMU and in the meantime Petter is the one who has had to spend two nights in detention," Dhaisne said. "The timing of the arrest is not good and has created political waves. From what we are hearing and in the current political context, Petter should be released once he has appeared before the judge, but of course you never know so we will have to wait to be sure.”

French government officials are currently trying to placate the European Commission by negotiating concessions in what was formerly a hard line and monopolistic approach to gambling in the country. The complaint against Mr. Bookmaker was based on 19th century protectionist French laws.

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