Speculation on the opening of the French online casinos gambling market has been confirmed now by Eric Woerth, the French Budget Minister. Last week the French media reported that President Sarkozy planned to sign legislation into effect that would open the current French gambling and betting monopoly to foreign internet gambling companies. France is one of ten European nations under investigation with the European Commission for EU trade policy violations in regards to the country’s online casinos gambling monopoly. The new legislation will bring the nation into accordance with EU policy as well as taking advantage of new internet technology advances.

Initial reports at GamleCraft related to the implementation of the new legislation were in fact inaccurate, and Woerth stated that the country plans to implement a controlled opening of the online casinos gambling and betting market by 2009 and 2010 (GambleCraft previously reported the changes could occur by the end of 2008). Apparently, the French government is already well into provisional online casinos gambling regulations for the nation despite the fact that the information is only just released to the general public.

President Sarkozy, Woerth, and other French officials have been in talks with the Commission regarding the state monopoly for many months, and this is the first real indication that the discussions and threats of future action from the European Court of Justice were effective in altering the French online casinos gambling policy. President Sarkozy’s more liberal attitude toward internet gambling is a large part of the reason that the French market is opening to foreign online gambling operators since the previous government was staunchly in favor of running a state gambling monopoly.