Sportsbetting firms win legal battle over French Open.
- By Patrick St. Kitten
- Published 04/30/2008
- Gambling
- Unrated
Not many months ago, the Roland
Garros officials filled a formal complaint against several online sportsbetting
companies as a way to prevent sports bets on the French Open tournament. The
French federation sued Betfair, bwin and Ladbrokes sportsbook, however, the Liege court
has ruled such online betting companies are not violating French Tennis Federation
rules or rights by offering such odds and lines and taking bets on the Roland
Garros games and stated that "The operators had behaved in a prudent and
diligent manner”. The French federation claimed that online gambling activities
on the French Open matches give a bad reputation to the championship,
especially after the declarations made by an internet gambling company that suspended
all bets on a Roland Garros’ match after claiming that the game was fixed.
"EU-licensed
bookmakers are professionals that have a high level of expertise, know-how and
risk management skills. This has been clearly recognized by the Belgian judge
looking at the fact-based evidence to dismiss all the claims in this
case," said the European Gambling and Betting Association secretary general Sigrid
Ligne.
The European Gaming &
Betting Association released a statement in where they said they are happy with
the court’s decision. However, its It was unclear if the French tennis
federation would appeal the court’s decision, French Tennis Federation
officials said that online sports betting firms are unfairly using the French Open as
a profitable way to make money.
"The judge also
considered that the 'simple mention of the name of a sports event is a
necessary indication for the online betting activity' which therefore 'cannot
be considered as an act of parasitism since its sole purpose is to let the
player identify which sport event to place a bet on'," the EGBA statement
said.
Austrian gambling giants, bwin expressed that the use of the Roland Garros name is an essential element to attract consumers and the court supported that argument.
