Microgaming Close in on France

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Tuesday, 15 June 2010 - 20:20 Microgaming Close in on France

Last May France passed a law that would allow online gaming operators to obtain gambling licenses for the country. Previously, there was a state monopoly on gambling, which, until 2010, had been in force around 50 years.

Competition for the 11 online gaming licences has been fierce. 10 of the lucky operators to win a licence were locally-based companies (BetClic, EverestPoker and La Francaise des Jeux amongst others), while one of the biggest online gaming sites, Bwin, was the only foreign company on the list.

For those that missed out, there is due to be another round of licences awarded by Arjel, the national online gaming authority, and already leading the pack is software provider Microgaming, which has submitted three applications, two of which are in partnership with 888 Holdings PLC.

Microgaming CEO Roger Raatgever, was confident about the application and predicts the company will "rapidly" establish its position in the new French territory. Raafgever said that "at Microgaming we stay ahead of the market and are delighted to announced that following the recent signing of a joint venture with 888, we have combined our efforts and successfully submitted operator licenses to the Arjel."

It will be interesting to see who wins the next round of licences from Arjel and, of course, who will make the most impact in France.