Online Casino Operators Upset With French Gaming Laws

Online casino operators are upset with the new French gaming laws. Some of the most respected gaming companies have already exited the French market without securing a license to operate an online casino that accepts players within France. William Hill has withdrawn from the French market, and they are a well known gaming operator within the UK and throughout Europe. Right after the announcement, all Playtech online casinos decided to withdraw from French territory.

The French decided to use the same model as the Italians and only offer a select number of licenses to online casinos so that they can accept French players. These licenses also come with a set of strict rules that licensees must abide by. This is bad news for Playtech casinos that focused on the French market. They’ll need to change focus to other countries in the European Union.

This seems to be the current trend for online gambling in Europe. While this may work well for the governments looking to control online gambling, it hurts the citizens of those countries because they can only play at a handful of properties. Their are still many online casinos that accept French players and they do not have a license to operate within France. So, french citizens will still be able to access unlicensed online casinos, but they won’t have any player protection.