No Gambling Ads in France

French Budget Minister Eric Woerth recently announced that advertising of unlicensed gaming operations on French radio and television stations remained illegal and, under his guidance, would be punished to the full extent of the law.
Europe 1, a popular radio station broadcast in France, has of late drawn criticism from the country’s government as a result of its frequent airing of ads for online gaming operator, BetClic. Less than a week after the Budget Minister’s announcement and the ensuing uproar, BetClic released a statement saying it would comply with French law and pull the ads immediately, so long as other public and private entities followed suit.

At present, Française des Jeux and the PMU are the only legal online operators. Both are being encouraged to refrain form exploiting this obvious advantage by not advertising until January of 2010, when French leaders anticipate a loosening of its gambling laws that might include opening its markets to additional operators.

Until then, Minister Eric Woerth remains in charge of ensuring fair and legal play as put forth by France’s new online gaming guidelines. Noting that “the current law is very clear and…needs to be applied,” his announcement made clear he expects offshore operators to cease all advertising immediately.

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