The
order that the two executives appear before a French
magistrate this week comes in the aftermath of the arrest of two
British online gaming businessmen in the US. One, David Carruthers,
remains in the US awaiting trial in a case being pursued by the
Department of Justice. Another, Peter Dicks, has been allowed to
return to the UK before heading back to the US on 28th September to
face charges being pressed by the state of Louisiana.
Manfred Bodner and Norbert Teufelberger are jointly chief
executive of Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, the Austrian firm
behind Betandwin. They were held for questioning as they unveiled
an agreement with AS Monaco, a football team in the French league.
Trading in shares in the company on the Vienna stock exchange has
been suspended.
"In essence, all of this is more than objectionable," said
Frederic Manin, the French lawyer acting for Bodner and
Teufelberger. "French law is incompatible with European Community
law. To assert itself against the activities of a company such as
Bwin in France, the French State must apply a consistent gaming
policy and prove that the monopoly is the only way to protect the
purposes of public order."
Bwin suffered another blow when Bavaria banned it from taking
wagers. It is the third German state to enact such a ban. Bavaria,
Saxony and Hesse have ruled that Bwin violates state lottery
monopolies on sports betting.
In France La Francaise de Jeux operates a sports betting and
lottery monopoly. The company is 72% owned by the French state.
"If FDJ had a low profile, it might be acceptable," said Manin.
"But FDJ has launched a full-fledge diversification campaign,
boasts a two-digit annual growth rate and, through its Euro Million
game, is reaching out to countries other than France. The interest
of FDJ is solely financial. If you let FDJ grow, then other gaming
companies should also be allowed into France."
