Warning over “illegal” ad campaigns in France

France’s Budget Minister, Eric Woerth, has reportedly warned that any advertising of online gaming sites remains illegal until the new legislation is implemented.

The notification emerged after the release of recent advertising campaigns including the one from operator BetClic.

As per the current developments shared by Gaming Intelligence, BetClic has already started its advertising campaign on radio.

Unibet has signed a partnership with French radio station Radio Monte Carlo to sponsor a new programme called `Les Paris RMC’. The estimated €1 million contract will run during 2009 with an option to extend into 2010. Unibet has also invested a further €1 million into the development of a reality TV programme on sports and poker.

In an interview with France’s Le Figaro, Isabelle Parize, MD of Mangas Gaming, said that the company was aware of Woerth’s objections to the marketing activities currently underway.

“We have been waiting for months now,” said Parize. “The bill was presented to the Council of Ministers in March and we are effectively in a pre-liberalisation phase. We cannot sit waiting with our arms crossed while FDJ is accelerating its marketing activities, launching new games and entering into new partnerships.

Since the announcement of the liberalisation last summer, Woerth has repeated several times that the opening of the online gambling market will be controlled. In other words, it means that the opening will be limited and that gambling operators will have to satisfy a large number of specifications to obtain a licence.

Denmark gears up for deregulation: report

A 60-year old gaming monopoly operated by Danske Spil is expected to get over when the government announces its plans for deregulation.

The Copenhagen Post has reported that deregulation would mean that foreign gaming companies could begin advertising in Denmark and their offerings would be legally available. It added that a current European Commission lawsuit alleging the monopoly violates free market regulations “was a major factor in pressuring the government into the move”.

As per the information available, only the Lotto and scratch-off ticket games will continue to be under the sole jurisdiction of Danske Spil.

For an entry into the market, companies would be required to pay a licencing fee. Further information wasn’t shared.

Over the years, it has been acknowledged that certain parts of the gaming market in the country had developed without any form of regulation or control. At the same time, the spread of the Internet has facilitated the development of a global gaming market completely beyond state control.

Online gambling rules may get relaxed in Switzerland

The Swiss government has recently published a draft proposal towards regulating online poker and Internet gaming.

According to Swissinfo, the new forms of gambling could generate revenue of up to an estimated $22 million annually. Online lotteries and bets over the Internet are presently allowed under the Swiss law.

It is being felt that without regulation, the black market is growing, the players are unprotected and the states go away empty-handed. Not only tax money is staying out of the monopoly jurisdiction but also the gamblers and players are endangered by the uncontrolled offer.

The proposal would relax current restrictions by offering a yet-to-be-defined number of licences to companies registered in the country, with the resulting gaming products to be offered only to Swiss residents. In parallel, Swiss government would prosecute any unlicenced operators that continue doing business with Swiss citizens.

Also, it has emerged that the government intends to uphold a ban on gambling over the telephone and interactive television, according to a statement.

The change in the law is subject to approval by the Parliament.

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