French gambling bill debated this week

When it comes to European nations taking their time to adhere to European Union directives regarding breaking down the monopolies of state-run gambling companies, you can't be surprised that the French have been dragging their heels on it.

ZeTurf, a Maltese-based gambling firm which focuses on French racing, angered the French government last week when a 'press release' appeared in the free daily Metro paper in Paris, just two days before the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe.

Zeturf French advertising condemned

Online operators have become increasingly impatient in recent months ahead of the market liberalisation which is planned for early 2010, entering into media and sports sponsorship deals as they compete to establish themselves ahead of the market opening.

France’s proposed gambling bill will be presented to the National Assembly for discussion on Wednesday.

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Spot-fixing - you will never, ever be able to stop it

According to this report , IPL tournaments so far have been rife with spot-fixing - that is fixing minor elements of the game - runs in a single over, number of wides bowled etc. The curious part of that article is that the Income Tax department are supposed to have found these crimes. What idiot would be stupid enough to put down 'big wad of cash handed to me by bookie' as a source of income? Backhanders for sportsmen, particularly in a celebrity- and cricket-obsessed culture like India are not rare. They could come from anything like turning up to open someone's new business (not a sponsor, but a 'friend of a friend' arrangement), to being a guest at some devoted fan's dinner party etc. The opportunities are always there, and there will always be people trying to become friends with players and their entourage - that is human nature. This form of match-fixing (and it's not really fixing a match, just a minor element of it) is very hard to prove, but also,

It's all gone Pete Tong at Betfair!

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lay the field - my favourite racing strategy

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Sport is made for betting

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