The link between France and gambling always has been strong and could even be described as historic.

The country largely contributed to the development of gambling through time with the creation of inescapable games such as roulette (by the mathematician Blaise Pascal) and the 52 card game which gave birth to Baccarat or Shimmy (also known as Chernay).

As a consequence, it feels natural for gambling to be legal in France. But to settle on this territory, you must have a license from by several organisations:
• for betting activities: Pari Mutuel Hippodrome (PMH) and Pari Mutuel Urbain(PMU);
• for bingo lotteries and sports betting, only the Française des Jeux (FDJ) keeps the monopoly on land base activities.

Some conditions must however be respected if you want to offer gambling activities in France. For example, physical casinos can only be established in seaside and tourist towns (except Paris) and on some cruise ships with the French flag.

Since 2010, online gambling is regulated by the Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne (ARJEL), which can authorise licenses for club games (until now, only the poker is allowed), sports betting and horse races. Online casino games are forbidden in France.

Fifteen licenses have been issued by the ARJEL so far. This particularly low number of licenses can be explained by high tax rates which can frighten some operators.

However, the market is doing well as the third quarter of 2017 results show: an increase by 23% of the revenues linked to sports betting despite a year without international competition, a 10% growth of horse racing revenues and +5% for poker.

France is a market which needs to be followed especially as online casinos should be authorised very soon. The 2018 Football World Cup, with a French team considered as favorite for this new edition, should also contribute to the sector’s success thanks to high sports betting revenues.

On October 16, 2018, the inaugural European Gaming Congress in Ljubljana is set to host a panel where the state of France will be discussed directly with the regulator. To find out more details about the event make sure you follow our news.

We are excited to announce our first event sponsorship and we would like to thank our friends at All-In Translations for the opportunity and initiative. As a strategic partner of Asia Gaming Brief (organizers of ASEAN Gaming Summit), the honor is even higher. (see EEGMedia/EEGEvents engages in strategic partnership with Asia Gaming Brief)

It was great to see that All-in Translations will once again host the official poker tournament of the ASEAN Gaming Summit in March and we want to make it even more interesting for the players by giving some prizes on behalf of our company.

The tournament is a freeroll for delegates attending the conference and we will be sponsoring the prize pool with no less than three packages of great value.

Prize 1 (worth $1600): 1 Seasonal ticket for a company representative which includes access to 5 EEGEvents in 2018.

• Prague Gaming Summit – 29.03.2018
• Mare Balticum Gaming Summit – 08.05.2018
  
• Vienna International Gaming Expo – 30.05 – 01.06.2018
• Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference and Awards– 25-26.09.2018
• European Gaming Congress – 16.10.2018

The ticket includes access to the conference/seminar, complimentary lunch and access to all networking sessions.

More details about the events can be found on the official landing page of the events division: www.eegevents.org

Prize 2 (worth $550): Tickets for 2 EEGEvents in 2018 for a company representative. 

The winner can choose from the above list of events.

Prize 3 (worth $900): Featured radio spot for 3 months and interview on iGaming Radio

The player who wins this gets the opportunity to present the company with a radio spot which will be streamed during peak hours on iGamingRadio.com. The radio spot can be created by the representative’s team or by the team at the first online radio dedicated exclusively for the b2b sector of the online gambling industry. A selected representative will also get the chance to take part in the Innovation Talks monthly show and discuss the latest innovation in the industry.

As you may already iGaming Radio is the first online radio streaming gaming related news exclusively through daily shows, interviews and press releases. The aim of the station is to keep its audience connected 24/7 with the online gaming industry by playing awesome music and serving the news first hand.

You can tune in on www.igamingradio.com

About ASEAN Gaming Summit

TECH TRENDS, CONVERGENCE, STRATEGY, RETURN ON INVESTMENT
20-22 MARCH, 2018, CONRAD MANILA, PHILIPPINES

The ASEAN Gaming Summit draws together the region’s leading operators, regulators and suppliers, who are successfully developing the next generation of gaming offerings, both terrestrial and online.

From new-style integrated resorts, addressing the premium mass market, to sports betting innovations and online gaming, this event is for anyone with an interest in this dynamic region.

Mark your calendars for 20 -22 March, 2018.

For any questions about the 2018 conference, send an email to [email protected] or visit the official website www.aseangaming.com

About All-In Translations

All In Translations is the only Language Service provider offering such a large variety of languages (70+) combined with a true enthusiasm for iGaming, hence their slogan “We speak your iGaming language”.

They are now a market-leading provider of language services to the iGaming industry. Their high-quality standards and service level are ISO certified and trusted by several of the biggest platform providers, developers, operators and affiliate marketers. The team helps companies like Playtech, William Hill, Betfair, Microgaming, Interblock, Betsson and many more to boost their online presence and grow their brands internationally.

The subject of iGaming has been their bailiwick since the company started up in Malta in 2008, meaning that all their linguists and project managers have both a strong knowledge of and a genuine passion for casino games, poker, sports betting, lotto, bingo, trotting, backgammon, roulette and more.

Visit their official website for more details: www.allintranslations.com

The second edition of Prague Gaming Summit is set to become a leading platform which will highlight the Slovakian, Czech and Polish market, while also focusing on the latest innovations which are trending at this moment and help increase the social awareness of the industry.

Regulatory updates from Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland

As is typical, legislation has lagged behind innovation in the industry in Europe and we’re just starting to see more nations undertake the balancing act between ensuring they generate sufficient tax revenue, and providing a safe environment for their bettors. This process is made particularly difficult since levying too much tax will discourage investment in localities, as well as promote a move to less regulated, altogether dodgier iGaming venues from the punters themselves. Despite the divides between legislators, there are still good offers for specific counties across Europe. The Czech, Slovak and Polish market are not among them. This is why we are reaching out to the industry to encourage this effort of bringing together the key stakeholders of the industry to discuss potential amendments.

The special regulatory briefings will be held by top names of the industry who are well known in the region for their contributions to the online and land based gambling market and here are some of the already experts that will speak during the regulatory update panels:

Dr. Robert Skalina(WH Partners), Jakub Kolomicenko (Endorphina), Jan Rehola (PS Legal), Vojtech Chloupek (Bird&Bird), Piotr Dynowski (Bird&Bird), Tal Zamstein (Fortuna Group), Bogdan Coman (Rombet)

Social Responsibility, Anti-Money Laundering and Gambling Licensing Procedures

Social responsibility is all about protecting players from gambling-related harm and the organizers encourage the fact that crime should be kept out of gambling. The industry is facing a period in which more and more regulated markets are adopting licence conditions and codes of practice which revolve around responsible gambling. However, these programs should be implemented in a manner that it does not block the industry totally.

When speaking about the implementation of the EU AMLD we must mention the fact that there are rumors about a 5th AMLD which will focus on the following 5 main requirements: Extending the Directive Scope to include Virtual Currencies, Addressing the Issue of Anonymity in Relation to Prepaid Cards, Beneficial Ownership Registers, Enhancing cooperation and information sharing among EU financial intelligence units and Developing a Consistent EU Approach Toward High-Risk Third Countries.

The already confirmed speakers of the discussion are: Pieter Remmers(Assissa), Alex Henderson (The Ritz Hotel Casino London), Dan Iliovici (Romanian National Office for Gambling), Martin Arendts (ARENDTS ANWÄLTE)

Innovation Talks, Retention and Marketing

There is no doubt that talks around crypto is going to be among the highlights of many industry related news, thus we are once again putting together a panel where the experts of the crypto industry will share their wisdom and talk innovations.

For the first time in our portfolio, we are implementing a panel style workshop which will revolve around Conversion and Retention which will help attending delegates to gain access to information that will help increase their profit.

The already confirmed experts of the panels are: Tal Itzhak Ron (Tal Ron, Drihem and Co. Law Firm), Quirino Mancini (Tonucci & Partners), Max Krupyshev(Cubits), Robert Dowling (EveryMatrix), Joseph Borg (WH Partners)

With such an incredible lineup of expert speakers, the event is expected to surpass the inaugural edition in numbers and networking opportunities as we are already receiving a high number of registrations.

Delegate pass price breakdown:
•Early Bird Rate (60% Off): 199 EUR – Sales end on December 31, 2017
•Combo – Early Bird Rate + 2 nights accommodation (60% Off): 379 EUR – Sales end on December 31, 2017
•Advance Rate (40% Off): 299 EUR – Sales end on March 22, 2018
•Combo – Advance Rate + 2 nights accommodation (40% Off): 479 EUR – Sales end on March 22, 2018
•Regular Rate (no discount): 499 EUR – Sales end on March 29, 2018

Tickets can be registered via the special new registration gateway created by EEGEvents where you can opt for fiat and cryptocurrency payments.

Register here: http://bit.ly/Prague18

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Prague as well as your contributions to the topics!