Now France has one of the more profitable of the online betting, gambling, and lottery monopolies, and the European Commission has forced the French government to carry negotiations to finish the monopoly and provide more inclusive legislation. So, the online gambling industry of France could be the first protected state monopolies to completely pass new legislation and regulations which open their market to foreign online gambling operators. The new trend of French politics concerning foreign online casinos is directly related to the European Commission’s warnings.

The Commission has threatened to bring up the French government before the ECJ if they don’t change the restrictive, monopolistic and protectionist internet gambling policy. The French government hasn’t announced any new regulations regarding access of foreign online operators to the French internet gambling market yet. But Francaises des Jeux, state-run lottery monopoly, has just announced selling off a stake in the company. Francaises des Jeux is the third biggest lottery operator in the world, and it is supposed that a considerable portion of the company can be on the market in the following weeks.

Besides Francaises des Jeux, a sister company provides gambling services and horserace betting for bettors. After passing the new legislation, the state-run monopoly companies will still be able to work on the French online gambling market, however, other main operators could provide betting services as well. Arguments for allowing foreign online operators to work in the French online gambling market focus upon the fact that the country’s government can compensate for the anticipated profits loss at Francaises des Jeux by regulating, licensing and taxing the online casinos of other countries.