CyberArts providing French poker

Francaise Des Jeux is seeking to build up momentum before the French market it opened up to competition next year and is expected to go live with a play-for-fun version over the summer. The early launch would also allow the monopoly to correct any technical problems before it launches a play-for-real version early next year after the nation’s new gaming legislation comes into force.

“We are committed to having Francaise Des Jeux live with a fully-functioning cash poker site on the first day of legal operations in France and we have the technology and experience to meet the strictest of regulatory requirements,” said Ken Arnold, Chairman for CyberArts.

“This is an exciting time in online gaming as a second wave of large trusted brands begin to provide gaming in new jurisdictions with government authority. There’s a real advantage to companies like ours that cannot only meet the rigorous technical requirements but, as never having been operators, we’ve never run into any issues with licensing authorities.”

CyberArts has a similar deal in place with Italian largest operator, Gioco Digitale, which became the first firm to launch under that nation’s new online gambling licensing scheme last year.

The San Francisco-based firm also provides gaming technology and services to two large US legal sites, PurePlay.com and SpadeClub.com, and recently signed a deal with Italy’s Zest Gaming to enter the server-based gaming market.