Casino Choice UK News Archive
“Furious” Unibet blast Tour de France chiefs
Race coordinator Christian Prudhomme has banned the Unibet team from competing, even if they strip their Green Cycle Team of all gambling logos and are not known as the Unibet team. He claimed he was simply obeying French law, though EU market commissioner Charlie McCreevy has objected to this.
Unibet’s fury has been compounded by the fact that the biggest sponsor of this year’s Tour de France is the country’s horse betting monopoly Pari Mutual Urbain, while the lottery operator La Francaise des Jeux is also sponsoring a team.
“The whole situation is a scandal,” said Unibet spokeswoman Inga Lundberg.
Team director Jacque Hanegraf also expressed his anger, pointing out that the decision would have a serious effect for their riders.
“By denying the riders the chance to compete in the highlight of the cycling calendar the organisers are damaging careers,” said Hanegraf.
He went on to point out the inherent hypocrisy in the decision, saying that there is no way a foreign football team such as Tottenham Hotspur would be banned from playing a crucial European match in France just because they are sponsored by an online gaming firm.
Unibet’s fury has been compounded by the fact that the biggest sponsor of this year’s Tour de France is the country’s horse betting monopoly Pari Mutual Urbain, while the lottery operator La Francaise des Jeux is also sponsoring a team.
“The whole situation is a scandal,” said Unibet spokeswoman Inga Lundberg.
Team director Jacque Hanegraf also expressed his anger, pointing out that the decision would have a serious effect for their riders.
“By denying the riders the chance to compete in the highlight of the cycling calendar the organisers are damaging careers,” said Hanegraf.
He went on to point out the inherent hypocrisy in the decision, saying that there is no way a foreign football team such as Tottenham Hotspur would be banned from playing a crucial European match in France just because they are sponsored by an online gaming firm.
Submitted: 2007/06/18 at 13:29:27
