Sport is made for betting

The whole premise of French protectionism over gambling was to protect the PMU, the local racing tote which funds the local racing industry. The French government have shown their distaste for Betfair and exchange betting from day one, and fixed-odds betting on horse racing for any other operator has not been approved either. So in that case, why would they licence two competing pari-mutuel operators to bet on French horse racing? They won't be allowed shops which will mean pool liquidity can only struggle. Geny Infos (genbet.fr) was last night granted a licence for pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, as was ZeTurf France (zeturf.fr), a company which have 'illegally' tried to compete with the PMU for many years. So they licence a firm which has consistently broken the rules in the past, and yet not Betfair who had made no attempt to target France until the last 18 months or so, before ceasing all activity there to conform with the new law. Perhaps it's the governm...

Unlike some of their rival bookmakers who have headed offshore to avoid paying tax and levy, Sportingbet have chosen to make a voluntary Levy Board payment for the upkeep of British racing, beginning next year. From the Racing Post: Chief executive Andrew McIver, whose company is sponsoring a £50,000 four-year-old hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday, said yesterday: "We're delighted to demonstrate our support of the British racing industry by committing to a voluntary payment of the levy, which equates to the statutory payments [ten per cent of gross profits] we would make if we were based in the UK. The figure is expected to be around the £250k mark. Obviously there is something in it for them, wanting to add credibility to their sponsorship of various races and the Racehorse Owners' Association awards night they have agreed to sponsor for three years. Other firms paying a voluntary levy fee include Betfair (assume because they weren't covered in the original legislation...

When it comes to European nations taking their time to adhere to European Union directives regarding breaking down the monopolies of state-run gambling companies, you can't be surprised that the French have been dragging their heels on it. ZeTurf, a Maltese-based gambling firm which focuses on French racing, angered the French government last week when a 'press release' appeared in the free daily Metro paper in Paris, just two days before the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe. Zeturf French advertising condemned Online operators have become increasingly impatient in recent months ahead of the market liberalisation which is planned for early 2010, entering into media and sports sponsorship deals as they compete to establish themselves ahead of the market opening. France’s proposed gambling bill will be presented to the National Assembly for discussion on Wednesday.