French Government begins iCasino meetings with Gambling stakeholders

The French government will begin meetings today with key gambling stakeholders following two weeks of drama related to online casino regulation amendment.

French gambling stakeholders are meeting today (Wednesday) with government representatives to discuss how they can move forward on the highly sensitive issue of online casino regulation.

The meeting follows two weeks of twists and turns as France’s government has gone from introducing an amendment that would regulate online casino in an open (competitive) setting, to withdrawing the proposal following concerted pressure from the country’s land-based casinos and more than 100 mayors expressing their disapproval of the measure.

The topic is of concern to the country’s land-based casinos and groups such as Partouche, Barrière or Circus and their trade body Casinos de France; and online operators such as Betclic, Winamax or Unibet.

Dialogue needed on iCasino model

The government’s amendment outlined an open and competitive market that operators of all types could work in as long as they meet compliance and licensing requirements, a scenario that is ideally suited to online operators.

Land-based casinos have always been against that model and have long called for CdF members to be allowed to operate digital casinos during an initial exclusivity period.

CdF VP and Partouche board member Fabrice Paire told French media recently that one of the reasons for this stance is that they don’t want to repeat the mistake of the 2010 regulations of OSB and poker, which was to allow online operators who had been targeting France for many years to enter the market with huge databases that enabled them to build unassailable market shares.

To find common ground and encourage resolution, one model that has been floated would see AFJEL members operate the digital offerings of land-based casinos. This would also enable the casinos to collect revenues from a regulated market without having to get too deeply involved in operational issues, although details such as the duration of such arrangements remain unclear.

Time pressures are key, with CdF insisting it will not be rushed into agreeing anything and AFJEL wanting to get an agreement in place before the end of this year’s parliamentary session.

One way or another

Timings are yet to be confirmed, but speaking to a number of industry sources, it seems clear the winds of change are blowing in only one direction. That view is also supported by the fact that Française des Jeux has the ear of the government and is bringing its lobbying power to the table and to AFJEL through its ownership of Kindred Group.