The Appeal Court of Paris ruled that according to French law, the national pool Pari Mutuel Urbain is the only organization allowed to take bets on French horse racing.
The appeal judgement confirmed an earlier interim order issued in July 2005, but increased the penalties for the Malta based betting website, which now will have to pay EUR50,000 per day of non-compliance.
The Appeal Court of Paris also ruled that the French law is compatible with European Union law, which says that national gambling restrictions are only allowed if they aim at restricting gambling and needed to protect public order.
A spokesman for Zeturf said the French courts are squarely behind PMU by entertaining the syndicate\’s bid to further buttress its staunch monopolistic activity, while EU law would not allow restrictions that aim to protect state income from gambling.
Zeturf filed a complaint against the French betting monopoly with the European Commission. In the mean time, it continues to take bets on French horse races, arguing that it is only subject to Maltese law.
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