French Tennis Federation Betting Case Thrown out of Court

May 1 - A court in Liege, Belgium heard this week a request by the French Tennis Federation (FTF) to order three popular  sports betting companies, Ladbrokes, Betfair, and BWin to stop taking bets on tennis tournaments in France. Subsequently, the court handed down its decision to reject the FTF's demand and ordered the organization to pay legal costs to the three companies.

The French Tennis Federation has, in the past, accused the gambling industry of 'staining the reputation' of the game of the tennis by taking bets on top tournaments such as the Roland Garros French Open and the Paris Masters. The Federation demanded that not only should the companies stop taking bets, but they should also pay a fine of 5000 Euros per day for violating these demands.

The court rejected the claims on the basis that the gambling industry as a whole could not be held responsible for illegal betting activity. It also commented on the fact that great effort had been made in creating a European online gaming industry that is as transparent as could be, and that all the necessary steps had been taken to counter underage betting and problem gambling.

The Secretary General for the pro-online gambling European movement, EGBA said after the ruling: "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."

The ruling is expected to have an impact on other, similar cases being discussed at the moment or those that may come up in the future.