French National Assembly approves online gaming bill

Tuesday’s vote reflected the tone of last week’s national assembly debate on the subject, with 281 of the 302 yes votes coming from the Union for a Popular Movement Party, with support from the liberal New Centre Party. The bill was overwhelmingly opposed by the majority of the remaining French political parties.

As the vote got underway, the Remote Gambling Association expressed its regret that the French Gambling Bill in its current form will fail to achieve any of its stated objectives.

The RGA said the proposed regulatory and taxation regime “will be wholly unattractive and in most cases completely unviable” for private sector online gambling companies, while cautioning that even further restrictions may be introduced into the bill as it progresses towards enactment.

“In its current form, the planned French legislation will simply not be viable for the vast majority of private sector operators and France will miss out on the opportunity to share in the growth and associated benefits of having its own thriving, regulated online gambling industry,” said RGA Chief Executive, Clive Hawkswood. “It also runs the risk of further challenges at EU level because the level of restrictions are such that they could be considered unacceptable barriers to market entry.”

Those concerns were echoed by the European Gaming and Betting Association which said Tuesday’s vote worsens the conditions of the market opening.

“At the time when Europe is watching the development of France’s reform, the introduction of even more unjustified restrictions is threatening to corrupt the efficient workings of the market. If the Senate votes along these lines, the prospect of a French market that is both viable and compliant with EU law is a long-way off,” said Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General of the EGBA.