Bwin CEOs Freed on Bail by French
The two CEO’s of an Austrian online casino company were released on bail Monday after their arrest by French authorities. The two heads of the bwin.com Interactive Entertainment AG are still under investigation for what French authorities are calling a violation of gaming laws.
The arrest has triggered angry responses from European online casino, including a French gambling company called Francaise des Jeux. Complaints are coming along side complaints made by online casino operators that were trying to break the national betting monopolies located in Europe.
The two joint chief executives from the online casino operation, Manfred Bodner and Norbert Teufelberger, were held over the weekend by French authorities after questioning on Friday. The online casino company, Bwin.com, released a statement late Monday after paying 300,000 euros for each person.
Frederic Manin, the French lawyer for the online casino CEOs , stated that the French were acting in a, “disproportionate and illegitimate manner.†Manin went on to say that, “In essence, all of this is more than objectionable as 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.â€
The law in France states that the investigation of the two online casino CEOs is the first step towards a trial, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that anyone under investigation will automatically face trial. The investigation itself implies that the examining magistrate of France has the evidence necessary to potentially link a person to a breach of the law.
The gambling industry in France is a state monopoly, from which online casino firms are banned from searching out clients within French territory. Bwin.com is now the t-shirt sponsor for the French soccer club AS Monaco, and they also hold other deals with a number of other French clubs. Despite the connection with the French clubs, Bwin denies any violation of European law.
“We do not understand the course of action taken by the French authorities. Two irreproachable and highly esteemed CEOs of a company listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange are being treated as criminals,†said a statement. “The events in France are unprecedented in their aggressiveness.â€
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Tags: gaming laws, gaming policy, interactive entertainment