French broadcaster TF1 ups the ante on online gambling

The company said this week that it signed a three-year deal with Francaise des Jeux, the state-owned operator of lottery games, to offer TV viewers and Internet users a dedicated gaming area on Tf1.fr website.

TF1 will also raise its stake in SPS, the company which currently operates the EurosportBET.com brand, to 100 % from 50 %, buying the stake held by investment fund Serendipity for an undisclosed amount. "This acquisition is part of the TF1's group 360 degree strategy, which ranges from board games to online betting and gaming in the field of sport," TF1 said in a statement.

EurosportBET.com launched a betting platform in Britain in June 2009 after obtaining an e-gaming licence. It is is expected to bid for an e-gaming licence in France.

France is moving towards ending a state monopoly on online gambling and allowing private companies to offer Internet bets on poker, horse racing and sport contests under a new law slated for final approval in parliament this year. Under pressure from the European Union, companies and soccer clubs eyeing the multi-billion euro online gaming market, want the law to be in force in time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in June.

For now, the only legal operators of online gambling in France are two state-owned concerns PMU for horse racing and Francaise des Jeux for lotteries and other games.

Under the proposed new law, private firms would need to obtain a permit from a newly created regulator, Authorite de Regulation des Jeux En Ligne (ARJEL), to set up websites that offering bets on games such as poker, sport contests or horse racing.