French Online Casino Rules to Forbid Games of Luck

France's upcoming online casino regulations seem arbitrary and protectionist, including the banning of Internet gambling based on luck, even as a state-owned company offers such gaming.

As gambling laws grow ever more byzantine around the globe, the new French regulations for online casinos and Internet gambling will not permit games of luck to be offered. France will only license online casino operators to carry games based on skill... which in France somehow includes not only poker but sports betting and horse racing.

The determinants of luck and skill frequently come into play in laws restricting or controlling gambling. But different nations, and even different states in the US, have drastically differing opinions on what constitutes luck, and what is a game of skill.

The French rules are at risk of infringement charges by the European Commission, based on discriminatory practices favoring domestic operators. Land-based casinos licensed in France offer full casino gambling, but are forbidden to offer online services.

Still, Française des Jeux, a French online site in which the government holds a 72 percent interest, offers online casino games without interference from the government. French officials are resistant to respond to EC complaints, saying the online casino industry and English bookmakers are twisting the law to force their services upon all EU nations.

While the current version of French online casino regulations will offer licenses to as many as 100 prospective operators, requirements for licenses are seen as designed to block foreign competitors licensed within the EU. Among rules are the establishment of both physical and financial presences in France.