Online betting shops

[Clair]

Online betting shops will be legalised in France from  Jan 2010.

At present, 5% of the French population gamble online without problems. They have access to 25 000 sites covering 25 games (sports betting,

poker, slot machines ...), 20% of those sites are in French and the stakes exceed 2

billion Euro per year. Three quarters of that money escape taxes as, in France, only La Française des Jeux and the PMU can offer online games to their customers.

The law being proposed should lead to a "managed and

controlled" opening and will allow only poker and sports betting. According to the minister "rather than

trying to ban 25 000 sites, we prefer to licence those

who meet our requirements of public and social order. By becoming

legal, these sites will have the right to advertise." As to illegal sites, they would be prosecuted and their transactions

blocked.

If the government sets the new rules, the move has been imposed by Brussels. The market for online gambling could quickly

double or even triple. The State is concerned of course: it expects

revenue. The Française des Jeux and the PMU have an edge on the internet, but

the two companies will have to fight off new competitors, starting with those who

are already active elsewhere in Europe. The market could also be of

interest to media and communications groups: the internet service

provider Free has linked up with the site Chilipoker, based in

Malta. For casinos, the game will not be easy. Aside from poker, no

other game will be allowed on the internet in

France. But sites based abroad will remain accessible to French players.

Source

[Pierre ZFP]

So that will mean even more Spam then.

I can't believe that people want to play poker online.  Even being generous and saying the gaming site is straight and fair (some hope!) what is to stop say 3 people at a table getting together and taking some poor sucker for a ride?

Dice/roulette games are even worse as the programs can be tweaked to ensure the House has a nice fat profit.