Bwin

Gambling Arrests : Bwin Fight On

Football club AS Monaco continue to wear Bwin as their shirt sponsor, despite the arrest of the company's CEOs last Friday. The battle for the right to own gambling websites in France continues, with Française des Jeux the new target.

The Française des Jeux and the PMU are under threat from possible European Court rulings, as the crisis in French gambling deepens. The joint CEOs of Bwin, an online betting company based in Austria, were being questioned by French police over violation of French gaming laws.

They insist, however, that they are well within European gaming laws, and that France must comply. Bwin's case may be harmed by the fact that their license has also been revoked in Bavaria for illegal practises, but the case opens up a minefield in France - that of the state monopoly on gambling.

Several French football clubs are sponsored by bookmakers, who advertise in France. However, they are all based outside of France and are trying to cash in on the lucrative betting market. In France, the monopoly is held by Française des Jeux and the PMU - all other gambling companies are forbidden from operating in France.

The Française des Jeux operates lotteries and other online games, while the PMU controls the horse racing betting markets. While bookmakers in England offer relatively generous odds, the PMU can often bring a favourite in to 1/10, forcing punters to open accounts with online bookmakers based outside of France.

Bwin represent just one interested party in this affair, and they are taking the battle right to Française des Jeux and the PMU. If successful, it would open up the market to online casinos and bookmakers who have already noticed a growing market in France. Many websites are already available in French, such as Gamebookers, who already sponsor FC Nantes.

It could also result in a British-type racing system, where independent bookmakers are allowed to operate on race courses. While Bwin's operations are being investigated, the knock-on effects could be enormous.

source: paris-link-home.com