31/7/2006 - Thibault Verbiest - Ulys.net - FairPlayers.com
Syndicat des Casinos Modernes de France seeks the annulment of the monopoly of the Française des Jeux

The Syndicat des Casinos Modernes de France has this week brought an action for annulment before the Conseil d’Etat.(“Recours pour excès de pouvoir”).The action seeks, under injunction, to obtain the annulment of the refusal of the French Prime Minister to abrogate the 1978 Act granting a monopoly to the “Française des Jeux”.

A request for a preliminary ruling has been asked, which must be granted according to article 234 of the EC Treaty since the Court is hereby seized in first and last resort.The action is based on the inconsistency of the monopoly with requirements set out by the (European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Gambelli.

If the PM’s decision is annulled by the court, it would entail the end of the monopoly.However, a decision will probably not be rendered before at least two years time if the Conseil d’Etat refers back the case to the ECJ. In the meantime, a lot can happen…

August 02, 2006 - The Times - By Sam Coates, Political Correspondent
Little can be done as internet gambling spirals out of control
INTERNET gambling is spiralling out of control and there is little the Government can do about it. Running online casinos is illegal in Britain, but operators have decamped to locations such as Gibraltar and the Dutch Antilles, beyond the reach of British regulators.

This has accelerated online gambling in Britain. Four million Britons spent about £5 billion last year betting online, a figure predicted to rise by 22 per cent this year. By basing themselves on the fringes of Europe, online gambling companies avoid regulation but exploit European Economic Area rules that allow them to advertise on British billboards and in newspapers and magazines.
The websites carry few or no health warnings, even though they are potentially more dangerous than bricks-and-mortar casinos and betting shops.

For less than £1 a user can enter a game and play with virtual money against hundreds of players. He or she can play for an hour and either lose the entrance fee or win a percentage of the pot. Players can also register their personal data, enter their credit card details and ask for chips. The only limit is that of their credit card. Internet gamblers comprise a significant proportion of recorded addicts. Gamcare, the gambling addiction and advice service, says that of 4,452 first-time callers last year, 9 per cent said that they gambled online.

The Gambling Act, passed in 2005, will legalise online betting in Britain from next year, but operators will be heavily regulated. Whether overseas companies come “onshore” is questionable. The US takes a tougher line. Prosecutors pursue online gambling businesses aggressively and most US credit cards cannot be used on gambling sites.

Saturday July 22, 2006 - Simon Bowers - The Guardian
PartyGaming boss insists he won't be scared from US market
PartyGaming boss Mitch Garber, a gaming lawyer of 16 years' experience, yesterday sought to dismiss suggestions that criminal charges similar to those brought against fellow online gambling group BetonSports could be levelled at his company, and insisted that PartyGaming would "continue to pursue aggressively new US customers".

12/07 2006 - www.cardplayer.com
Online Poker Would Generate $3 Billion Annually if Taxed
A study commissioned by the Poker Players Alliance shows that online poker would generate more than $3 billion in federal and state tax revenue a year if online poker were regulated and taxed.

28/06/2006 yogonet.com
gambling on horse race could become legal in New York
Internet gambling on horse race could become legal in New York (US).- Under a measure given final approval by the New York state Legislature, Internet gambling on horse races would become legal. The bill popped out during the final days of the Legislature’s 2006 session that, with the fight over the New York Racing Association franchise, has been strangely devoid of major racing-related measures.