Betfair criticises “restrictive” laws, exits France

Online betting exchange Betfair has voiced criticism of France’s new online gambling regulations having been forced this week to stop accepting bets from French customers, with the company now considering its future in the market.

Betfair said that as of today, the company will no longer accept bets from any of its French-based customers, under threat of criminal sanctions for gaming operators that fail to comply until licences have been granted by French authorities.

Betfair said it welcomes the principle of member states moving from a monopoly model to a licensed regime, but warned that the new French gaming laws impose restrictions on licensed operators which are both protectionist and go against the interests of French consumers.

As a result the company said it was considering whether or not to make an application for a licence to operate under the new regime. According to Betfair, not all of the requirements for such a licence have yet been published by the French authorities, with “little clarity on the way the market will operate.”

“We are looking very hard at the French market and how we might operate within the new licensed regime,” said Tim Phillips, Director of European Public Affairs at Betfair. “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 licence 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.”

Source: gamingintelligencegroup.com