Arjel gives notice to illegal French operators

The above graphic is a bit dated now.  It was created shortly after the new French online gambling legislation was passed. Now Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and Royal Vegas have joined Unibet, 888, William Hill and around 300 casino sites that are now geo-blocking French players from accessing their games.

The French regulator, ARJEL on Friday released it’s findings into who’s complying with their rules; who’s not; and what they’re doing to address known breaches. According to their report:

• 1000 casino sites are still accepting players from France without a license to do so (licenses for casino games don’t exist…only sports betting and circle games – ie poker);
• 300 casino sites were playing by the rules and not allowing French players to access their casino games;
• ARJEL had given notice to 550 sites to cease accepting French players, or risk further action;
• 2 sites had been ISP blocked following Tribunal de Grande Instance proceedings;
• a further 7 sites were currently involved in Tribunal de Grande Instance proceedings; and
• in all 150 unlicensed sites had been the subject of various ‘proceedings’.

It’s not hard to guess which operators would be playing by the rules…the same ones that immediately withdrew from the US when UIGEA was passed and whose size, corporate profile and existing license arrangements make regulatory compliance more imperative than it is for smaller operators. French players wanting to play roulette, blackjack etc online can still do so…just not with the biggest and best industry operators.

It is ironical that a prohibitive regulatory stance, often taken in the name of player protection,  invariably results in increased player exposure to 2nd, 3rd, 4th..etc tier operators.  Not just in France – in any county that tries to ban online gambling.

This is only exacerbated  by a prohibitive stance in the absence of enforcement.  Whether or not you agree with the French law, at least they’re actively trying to enforce it (as to whether they’ll ever succeed?…the expression pushing poo up hill with a stick comes to mind).

In Australia, where a prohibitive online gambling stance was legislated in 2001, there has not been a single prosecution of an unlicensed operator.  PokerStars, who recently got whacked in the US, actually have an office in Sydney staffed by over 200 personnel and sponsor local sporting events and poker competitions!  Surely this has to be confusing for players?

The Australian situation could change soon however, with the Senator Nick Xenophon calling for the Australian Federal Police to lift their game and enforce the law in this regard.  The AFP have also been asked by the FBI to investigate the local operations of PokerStars and FullTilt.

Related pages:

List of ARJEL approved circle game/sports betting operators

French online gambling legislation

Live casinos accepting French players

Live casinos accepting Australian players