French Senate amends Digital Bill

The amended legislation gives ARJEL the power to enter into agreements with other European jurisdictions to establish shared liquidity for online poker.

France.- The French Senate has voted to pass three amendments to the Digital Bill sponsored by the gambling regulator ARJEL. As per one of these amendments, ARJEL will have the power to enter into agreements with other European jurisdictions, with the aim of establishing shared liquidity for online poker.

The key amendment reads as follow: “The online gaming regulatory authority may allow an operator holding a license under Article 21 to offer players with a verified account on a site subject to accreditation to participate in circle games as defined in the first paragraph with the players holding an account on a site subject to approval by a member State of the European Union or State party to the agreement on the European Economic Area.”

The French Senate vote is just the first step in the legislative process. The text of the Digital Bill must now be brought into line with the text voted on by the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies and then, further votes are necessary before it can become law.

The Digital Bill, plus the gambling amendments, should be passed before the end of 2016. In the meantime, ARJEL will be doing the preparatory work it needs with the purpose of getting the first shared liquidity agreements signed as soon as possible.