Skill game for money in France: is it legal?

by Thibault Verbiest & Pascal Reynaud, Ulys law firm

Skill games for money are becoming more and more popular in France on the internet. But is it legal? This is the question we are trying to answer below.
Concerning the legal framework of skill games in France, we should first say that there is no specific law on that topic.  Four laws provide the legal framework of the game of chance or bingo, and sometimes give some information concerning skill games: the 1983 Act concerning the prohibition of games of chance; the 1836 Act concerning the prohibition of bingo; the 2010 Act concerning the opening of on line game of chance; and article 121-36 of the Consumer Code concerning the legality of specific games of chance during sales promotion. … Continue Reading

xThe Interface Between Ex Ante Online Gambling Sector-Specific Regulation And Ex Post Competition Rules: Legal Analysis Of The French Model

In spite of the criticism expressed regarding the application of the Law 2010-476 of May 12, 2010 on the Opening Up To Competition And Regulation Of The French Online Gambling Market (hereinafter referred to as the “Gaming Law”), one may contend that the French Government has attained its goal of fighting against money laundering, gambling addiction and unlawful online gaming offer. It took only few weeks for the newly-created National Regulatory Authority entrusted with the task of regulating the online gaming market in France (hereinafter referred to as the “ARJEL”) to show its effectiveness in the smooth enforcement of both the Gaming Law … Continue Reading

New French Gaming Legislation: Requirements Imposed on Operators by the Cahier des Charges

On March 1st, 2010, the ARJEL (the newly-created National Regulatory Authority of the French online gambling market) has issued a Draft Specification Requirements List (Cahier des Charges in French, hereinafter referred to as the “Requirements List”) which provides the reader with useful guidance with respect to the definitive outlook of the Requirements List. It is worth recalling that the goal of the Requirements List is to provide for the conditions which must be fulfilled by online gambling operators willing to obtain a license to offer games of chance to French consumers. It is on the basis of the guidance provided in the aforementioned Requirements List that potential applicants for a license can prepare their licensing application file. … Continue Reading

New UK Licence Requirements

The Government has today released a consultation document on the regulatory future of remote gambling in Great Britain. The Government’s preferred option is to introduce a statutory requirement for online gambling operators licensed within the EEA, Gibraltar and white listed jurisdictions to obtain a licence from the UK gambling Commission if they wish to transact with British consumers and/or advertise to the UK. A 12 week consultation period begins today but, in view of the terms in which the consultation is drafted, we believe it is almost certain that the Government’s final decision will be to introduce the proposed UK licence requirement. … Continue Reading

The New Belgian Gaming Legislation: B2B Model For Online Gambling Operators*

On December 3rd, 2009 the Lower Chamber of the Belgian Parliament adopted the New Belgian Gaming Legislation (hereinafter referred to as the “Gaming Law”). The Gaming Law has been passed without any substantial amendments , notwithstanding the EU Commission’s objections with regard to some of the core provisions of the Gaming Law. The Gaming Law has been published in the Belgian Official Gazette on February 1st, 2010: it should enter into force by January 1st, 2011 at the latest, even though Implementing Regulations (Royal Decrees of Execution) may provide for some provisions to enter into force earlier. This article will briefly discuss the Gaming Law’s main features and will draw some conclusions as regards its application to new entrants on the Belgian online gambling market.

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