Some Countries Still Writing Gaming Law
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010There are still some problems to be ironed out in the online gambling market. One country that is struggling with the issue is France. The French gaming market is under some criticism lately due to its odd rulings regarding taxation. The market is known as one of the highest taxing countries. If a company wants to hold court in their area, they have to pay hefty fees for licensing. This is why virtually no one company has opted to do so—they prefer places like Gibraltar. Gibraltar is traditionally known as one of the fairest markets for online gambling companies to set up shop. Their taxation is low and they are reasonable with licensing and other fee schedules. On the other hand places like France are under fire due to their lack of working with gaming companies. As an added deterrent, people are being paid out little. This is a situation that is making gambling in the country a less-than positive pastime. There are few headlines about citizens getting paid out, although numbers are showing that it is not for lack of trying. Gamers in France are playing, but the numbers are dwindling. In fact, since the same time last year their overall gambling numbers are down by about 7%.
Companies are also stating that French legislators are being unfair with their taxation laws. They are charging too much for gaming companies to come in and solicit the citizens of the country. Many companies are saying that they are even considering opting out of the market if things don’t get better. It could mean that French officials lose the licensing and taxation revenues they have access to now if they don’t rework some of the laws. Overall gambling in France has come to somewhat of a standstill in the past few months. Though there is still a customer base, they are wagering less. There are fewer payouts to speak of and that is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of gamers in the country. The country’s officials are pushing for change, but they still believe that their current taxation laws are more than reasonable. Only time will tell if they continue to work out.

