For almost 3 years, the online gambling market in France was owned by a state run monopoly. In April this year, a law was passed to allow for regulated gaming, opening up the market to foreign operators who follow strict guidelines and rules. In June, 11 sites received a license, followed by another 7 sites. On Monday, ARJEL (Autorité de Régulation des Jeux En Lignee - Authority of Regulation of Online Games) issued 9 new licenses to companies that want to offer internet gambling services to French customers (Full Tilt and PKR are 2 of the biggest sites among these 11).
In total, 27 sites foreign sites now have received a license to operate in France. Hopefully more countries with gambling monopoly will follow in France's footsteps and start issuing licenses to foreign betting companies.
