French land operators lose 'illegal competition' case

Attempts by French land-based gambling companies to sue their online equivalents for 'illegal competition' have suffered a setback in a Paris court.

The French land casino groups Casinos de France, Barrière, Joagroupe and Tranchant sued Online Gambling giants 888, Bwin, Sportingbet and Unibet for offering what they claimed were illegal gambling (unlicensed) products under French law to French gamblers.

The objective of the action appears to have been to exclude unwanted competition from a market set to liberalise later this year. Legal representatives of the French companies sought a punitive ruling that the defendants be prohibited from obtaining licenses for two years, a symbolic payment of damages in the sum of one Euro and the publication of the punishment in the French media, and Euros 30 000 in legal costs.

The action was, however, unsuccessful.