The European Union is opposed to France
... Or after a long case. The European Union is in effect giving its opinion on France's position in relation to gambling including sports betting online. In an official from 27/06/07, and she said that France's policy regarding gambling impedes the free provision of these sports betting services.
In other words, the monopoly on gambling fiercely defended by France and therefore the Francaise des Jeux and the PMU, shall be regarded as contrary to Community law.
And how could it be otherwise given that the French state legitimizes the monopoly of the Francaise des Jeux and the PMU under the pretext of protection of players while the two companies continually push the French citizens to play again and again with great bursts advertising campaigns and with no restrictions on age or amount. A few weeks ago, even minors could legally and freely buy a scratch ticket or a game of FDJ without being checked at all. On the other hand the European Union considered that the protections given by France in this area are illegitimate. Here is part of the official statement:
"The previous letters of formal notice was to verify whether the restrictions in question were compatible with Article 49 of the EC Treaty, which guarantees the free provision of services. The Commission considered that these restrictions were not compatible with existing EU law and that Member States had not demonstrated that the measures taken to restrict the free provision of sports betting services are necessary, appropriate and non-discriminatory. In addition, the Commission's view, existing national bodies can not be considered as non-profit because they are subject to strict targets in terms of annual turnover and they often appeal to private outlets to market their various gambling services. The Committee considered the cross-border provision of sports betting, but also issues such as advertising and sponsorship.
In France, the national legislative provisions which are currently under review by the Commission led to threats of prosecution and convictions of managers of sports betting companies licensed in other Member States. These provisions have also affected the sponsorship agreements in the field of football and more recently they have led to the exclusion of a cycling team of some races. "
Accordingly, the European Commission has taken action to put an end to these obstacles to the free provision of sports betting services in France, Greece and Sweden. After examining the responses of France to letters of formal notice sent in April and October 2006, the Commission has formally requested the two countries to change their legislation. The formal request takes the form of a "reasoned opinion", the second stage of infringement proceedings. In the absence of a satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Communities in order to force France to respect its commitments to Community law.
You can read the full release of the European Commission at: http://www.europa.eu/ra ...
Tags: English, French, Gambling, Legislation, Law, European Union
This article you interested? In this case do not hesitate to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed so that you can receive the new articles.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment