With a surprise last-minute amendment to their betting laws the French government has outlawed betting exchanges, much to the chagrin of the widely-popular UK-based betting site Betfair
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New laws have opened up the country's betting market for the first time, but that market is only open to licensed bookmakers that agree to pay a proportion of their revenue to the sport. According the The Guardian, it was ruled that if punters were allowed to offer bets, an online exchange like Betfair would contravene this rule.
"We will consider our position. It is fairly clearly discriminatory against the biggest and most competitive online operator in Europe. It is a slap in the face for the consumer," said Betfair's managing director, Mark Davies.
To read the full article in The Guardian, click here.