If you don’t keep score with a scorecard, it will be hard to keep track of the various outcomes of online gambling on the international front.  As soon as one country rules against online gambling within its shores, such as China recently did, another one opens its arms to online gambling.  France is a prime example of such a country.

For many years, all types of gambling have been governmentally regulated in France.  This included casino activity, card games and horse racing.  All variations of gambling were watched closely and taxed to the max.  All horse racing was governed under the PMU (Pari Mutuel Urbain) since it was sanctioned back in 1923, while lotteries have been nationalized since 1933. In 1976, the PMU was replaced in France by the FDJ, which took over the national lottery in addition to all sports gambling except horse racing, which is the only type of gambling remaining under the auspices of PMU. 

However, last week, the landscape of gambling in France changed when both the PMU and the FDJ were stripped of their monopolies on gambling.  The French now come under the umbrella of the rulings of the European Union.  Therefore, online gambling sites are now able to accept French bettors, and online gambling is officially openly accepted in France for the first time.  The offshoot of this legislation is that online gambling sites operating within the borders of France will be subject to the same scrutiny and examination as the land-based casinos and gambling outlets. 

The French authorities will be watching closely to ensure that the online casinos implement safeguards to prevent underage gambling and also to keep individuals who are barred from land casinos from participating in online gambling.  To this end, there has been a special enforcement authority created to watch over the online gambling industry in France and ensure its regulation and enforcement of rules.

An online poker network will be launched shortly in France for players in France, and it has the backing of two online casino competitors, Microgaming and 888Holdings.  This “Odd Couple” partnership will facilitate the ability of French players to play against thousands of others within the scope of a single poker room setting.

In Canada, many provincial Canadian governments are looking into offering regulated online gambling services for their citizens, while China remains adamant in refusing to allow online gambling within its shores.

We’ll keep you posted in the upcoming weeks and months as the world of online gambling continues to spin ‘round and ‘round throughout the world.