France is once again heading for a dispute over gambling with the European Commission and internal market rules. As in many places, gaming operators are allowed to sponsor sports in France, but only if they are French companies. Football teams have been banned from wearing other gaming logos in France and now the famous Tour de France cycle race is under attack from the French authorities.

Under French law only the state-owned betting shop PMU, the national lottery Française des Jeux and casinos are authorised to take bets. Casinos are on a list of industries not to be permitted to be taken over by foreign companies, even from EU countries. The online bookmaker Unibet has a cycle team that has been banned from races in France organised by Amaury Sport Organisation, which also runs the Tour de France. Unibet changed the name of the team but the ban so far remains in place.

The Malta-based company, which wants the ban lifted before the big race in July, is suing for €5 million and has the support of Charlie McCreevy, the Internal Market Commissioner already in pursuit of countries that block gaming operations to safeguard their state-owned industries. As the main sponsor of the Tour de France is the gaming operator PMU, a ban on Unibet can not be supported on antigambling moral grounds. Last December the Unibet cycle team was awarded a four-year ProTour licence allowing them to participate in all the major races such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Paris-Roubaix.
(E-05.04.07)

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