Things Heat Up at French Casino Market
European Casino Companies Continue Their Campaign in France Despite Warnings from Budget Minister Eric Woerth As the liberalization of the French online casino market is nearing
so does the competition intensify among private European casino operators. No matter how much they want to advertise their online casinos
France’s Budget Minister Eric Woerth reminds them that online gaming advertisements of any sort remain illegal until the new legislation regarding online gambling and sports betting is implemented in 2010. Early this week
casino company Unibet has announced its partnership with radio station Radio Monte Carlo
with a 1 million contract running the whole year. The said company also invested another 1 million into a reality TV show regarding sport and poker
to be aired by NT1. It also sealed a partnership with the Metro newspaper. Another casino company
BetClic
is negotiating with radio station Europe 1. Currently
advertising campaigns are being aired in the said radio station. Both Unibet and BetClic are also targeting the football sponsorship arena
aside from gaming online. Though advertisements regarding online games like online blackjack and online roulette are considered illegal
casino companies still maintain that whay they are doing is not illegal. Both Unibet and the European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA) also maintain that advertising in France by European operators is not illegal.
Online Gambling Resurrection in the U.S.
Is There Still Hope for the United States to Legalize Online Gambling Now that there is a New Administration? In 2006
the U.S. Congress banned gaming online in the United States
localizing online casinos in offshore locations such as Antigua and the Isle of Man. But now
rumors are going around that European casino companies may actually get another shot at the U.S. online casino scene
while a lot of European countries are now loosening their bans regarding the legalization of online gaming because they can largely benefit from the revenues that they can get from sports betting. This is especially beneficial to the U.S. In fact
Massachusetts Democrat Representative Barney Frank is expected to introduce a new legislation overturning the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. This will be his second attempt in doing so
after failing in 2007. Online gaming advocates are relying on President Barack Obama and the rest of the Democrats in the congress to repeal the said law. According to a study done by PricewaterhouseCoopers
the U.S. government can raise over $50 billion in 10 years just by legalizing and applying taxes in online casino games
such as online roulette
online blackjack
and online poker for instance. But then
things will not be resolved easily since there are still those organizations who oppose repealing the law
such as the Christian Coalition of America and National Football League. Different sport leagues in the U.S. are also worrying that accessibility of online gambling may lead to increase in game-fixing. Hence
the legalization of sports betting may be highly unlikely. At present
several European online casino companies are still in talks with the U.S. Justice Department
waiting for developments. Meanwhile
they have decided to extend their services to Europe and Asia.