A special committee which advises French regulator ARJEL on new technologies has recommended it “consider without delay the practicalities of regulating games on [social] networks.”
The committee also suggested ARJEL consider, “in view of the impending arrival of social gambling networks”, subjecting providers to the same legal and regulatory obligations as real money operators, which would include creating a dot.fr site, obtaining prior approval, implementing the same standards of underage blocking and account opening and management, and recording all “front end” game data.
The committee, consisting of ARJEL officials and nine appointed experts from the technology, payments and online security fields, also looked at how the sector was being impacted by advances in money-laundering, mobile and internet connected TV. They spoke to organisations including Facebook France, Google France, and French online operator association AFJEL.
ARJEL also revealed this week that PokerStars had reimbursed former players of FullTIltPoker.fr to the tune of nearly €4.1m, representing 90% of the funds left on the site when it was shut down by French authorities in 2011.
The repayment process began last November, with more than 13,000 players now having reclaimed previously frozen monies through PokerStars.fr.
ARJEL announced last week that Full Tilt’s French licence had been revoked after it had received notice of the liquidation of Full Tilt’s assets now underway in Ireland.
Stars decided not to relaunch Full Tilt in regulated markets after it acquired the assets and non-US liabilities of its former rival in a US$731m civil settlement deal with the US government last year.
Article written by Stephen Carter
