There is a lot of money to be mad with France opens up its online gambling market to outside companies and officially end the state run monopoly.  However, if independent companies do get involved in the French market there will be a lot of limitations.  There is a chance that those limitations may be enough to deter even big companies from offering their online casinos to French gamblers.

One of the first obstacles is that companies will not be able to offer online casinos in the first place, at least not full online casinos; those may come later down the road.  The bill being proposed in the French Parliament will legalize online gambling but it does not legalize games of chance.  Games of chance are considered highly addictive and healthy for the public. 

But there are many other games for companies to offer, like poker or sports betting.  More likely to deter major companies like Sportingbet, William Hill, PartyGaming, and 888 Holdings are the high taxes they are likely to have to pay.  No percentage has been set for licensing but it is likely that the percentage outside companies will be asked to pay will favor the French state owned companies.  The French are considering this a controlled opening of the French gambling market.

“I want to put an end to these parallel universes. I want to put an end to the jungle of illegal sites,” said Eric Woerth, French Budget Minister.  

“Prohibition doesn’t work. What is legal must chase away what is illegal.”