Need us then several weeks to hear the cases

The National Assembly gave, yesterday, the final green light to the draft law on gambling and betting online (paris sports, betting, poker), by a solemn vote of 299 votes for and 223 votes against. The future President of the authority of the new sector, the Arjel, describes its mission and the last steps before the actual opening of the market.

When the Arjel regulatory authority of the online games, Editor's note will be formally established and what will be its means

The Arjel will be created after the enactment of the Act. At the same time, the Government, the Presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate shall appoint seven members of the College, respectively 3, 2 and 2, including the President. The Arjel will employ between 50 and 70 people, with an annual budget of approximately EUR 10 million. Independent Auditors and experts will help us deal with the influx of applications for licences which will arrive as soon as the promulgation of the law. A Director-General will be appointed in time, but we are already organized, Mission of forerunner in several directions, with human resources meet the specific needs of the operational branches of the future authority: engineers, judges, auditors, lawyers...

Now what is the schedule for interested operators

The law should be enacted before the end of the month of April, the decrees of application and the specification published early May. Operators can then file a request. Need us then several weeks to hear the cases. The calendar is tense but tenable for an opening before the football World Cup, and this without prejudice to the quality of training of records...

What will be your main mission: the issuance of approvals or control the activity of the games online

Our mission is to ensure the application of a law that favors a truly comprehensive approach to the regulation: the fight against addiction, against money laundering, the protection of the sincerity of the gaming and betting. Such was the commitment reaffirmed at the discussions by Ministers Eric Woerth and François Baroin. It does not develop infinity online games market. It is to supervise and regulate an offer at the same time drying the illegal market, with a priority: the French consumer protection. Control, the Arjel will employ police officers, gendarmes and specialists of the games. The fight against illegal sites will also be conducted by the judicial police and customs. It is, indeed, criminal offences. The regulatory authority will issue the approvals, monitor compliance by the sites approved for their duties and, in case of breach, to seize its sanctions Committee composed of judges from the Court of Auditors, the Council of State and the Court of cassation. With regard to the fight against illegal websites, the Act established new procedures. Therefore, the Arjel will be able to capture the President of the Court of first instance in chambers so he made measurements of blocking access to sites. Similarly, the financial flows between the illegal operators and the French gamblers can be blocked by the Minister of the Budget at the request of the Arjel. The Authority also build agreements for the exchange of information with the other European regulators.

Will you immediately begin to fight against the illegal websites

We will apply the law with rigour. Including sites concerned. This advertising will itself very box, including by other instances of regulation as the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel. Prevention messages will be mandatory. I would add that we will introduce ourselves a communication campaign to explain why it is important to bet now exclusively on legal sites.

Sports betting and betting paris, how will be determined the list of events and elements of game media of paris

For sport, it will be to the sports federations to propose to the Arjel the list of the categories of events and scores and elements of game in which the paris phase can be registered. They also adjudicate on competitions organised from abroad in their discipline. The Arjel will deliberate on the basis of these proposals. The essence of this provision is the following: events which organizers offer all the guarantees of rigour and presenting an important sports issue will be preferred. Betting on facts of game without real significance as, for example, the first double fault in tennis or the first yellow card in football, no impact on the final score will be excluded. The purpose is of course to avoid fraud and to ensure the sincerity of the tests.

Will you say on the commercial contract which should bind operators to the organisers of sporting events

Yes, just as the authority of the competition, the Arjel will be to review the contracts of commercialization of the right of exploitation. The Arjel will ensure particular risk prevention devices.

Do you already have an idea of the number of operators that require a licence

In the light of the requests for information that the mission of precursor received, we believe that the order of magnitude of companies seeking approvals will be 50.

The opening of the market for games online on lesechos.fr/folders