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November 8, 2007
Recent speculation that France may be considering a relaxation of its gambling monopoly took a step back with comments by French Budget Minister Eric Woerth that France may not quite be ready to discard its current law. While conceding there may be room for the relaxing of the monopoly on horse racing, the minister’s comments mean online bingo operators may have to wait much longer to see the same thing in the online gambling industry. France has been under pressure from the European Commission which has been seeking to persuade France that it is in its best interests to comply with European Union (EU) free trade principles. The current protectionist policies of the French government make it illegal for many EU-based online bingo halls to offer bingo online to the French market. "We are not opposed to a certain opening [of gambling to other EU nations] but we will remain firm on certain points," Woerth said to French publication Le Parisien. "On the point of mutual recognition, which is difficult for us to accept," he said when asked on what points France would not compromise. "Just because an operator is recognised in a foreign country is no reason for us to have to open our gates to them in France," the Minister emphasised. "We intend to keep control of authorisations." Written by John Witherspoon – Need the best online bingo games? BingoStreet.com collected the best online bingo promotions and free bingo games online.
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