French Tennis Federation tried to ban online gambling
French Tennis Federation tried to ban online gambling companies from offering bets on the Grand Slam Rolland Garros tournament. “There is urgency to act because sporting ethic is at risk,” Jean-Francois Vilotte, director general of the French tennis federation, told The Associated Press. “It is an issue as important as the fight against doping.” The French federation is suing three companies: Bwin, Betfair, and Ladbrokes to stop them from taking bets on the French Open. It seeks a fine of $75,000 a day for any violations, said Vilotte’s lawyer, Jean-Louis Dupont. “Targeting the only betting operator which is completely transparent and, where needed, shares all its betting information with the ITF and ATP would be just plain bizarre,” Betfair Managing Director Mark Davies wrote in an e-mail. “I would be astonished if any sensible regulator wanted to go down this route or believed it could help protect the integrity of its sport when it so obviously does the opposite.” “We offer a service. To explain what happens, we have to use the name of Roland Garros,” Bwin spokesman Antoine Costanzo said. “We don’t cause the problem. We warn them there is a problem. We help organizers find those who are guilty.” FTF has no power to any state or country. Neither USA has. The only thing that FTF can do is to ban online betting and sports betting in general in the internal France betting agencies, but I don’t thing it could be made because the French state will loose a bog amount of money from taxes. We are living in a world where “Money talks” and competition and “know how” are the best power to lead. If France want to have a piece of cake from multi-billions called “Sports betting” it has to make a competitive www sports betting company not trying to ban it. Innovation and competition can bring you in the top, not banning and negation. Will pass some long long time until France will have such a company. France is far away from other countries such as: England, Australia, Austria and even Lithuania.