Betfair Pull Out Of France
14th May, 2010
Online betting operator Betfair has announced that it will no longer accept bets from France. This is because under new online gaming laws only operators that have a license will be able to accept bets until these licenses are awarded accepting bets will be deemed as illegal.
The company is still considering whether or not to make an application for the French license citing concerns over the as yet unpublished licensing requirements and the current lack of clarity on how the market will now operate.
Betfair has been rather critical of the new laws saying that it will, “impose restrictions on licensed operators which are both protectionist and go against the interests of French consumers”.
Tim Phillips, Director of European Public Affairs at Betfair, said: “We are looking very hard at the French market and how we might operate within the new licensed regime. Though it's not impossible for a newcomer to create a commercially viable business, most projections show it will be very difficult to do so, given the proposed restrictions imposed on license holders.
“French legislation will certainly benefit the incumbent players and the ultimate loser will be the French consumer. The new law does not adequately open the former monopoly's market to true competition from other operators. We hope that the review, scheduled 18 months from now, will amend the law to address these flaws.”
By Faye
