Licence first, says Cake Poker Network

04/13/2010

Cake Poker Network's French players are seeking a new home following the network's advisory that it is closed to French players with effect from the end of last week. The ban on French action will affect all Cake network member sites which have French players.

It is understood that the move was motivated by Cake's desire to meet French legal requirements as it applies for a licence in the soon-to-be-liberated French market.

“Due to new French legislation, players in France will not be able to play for real money from April 9th," a Cake spokesman said last week. 

"Players will of course be able to access the Cashier after April 9th so that they can withdraw their funds. We are looking into obtaining the relevant licenses to adhere to the new legislation as a matter of priority and once the circumstances change, we will be in contact to let all players concerned know. We do hope to welcome French players back to our software soon. I apologize for the inconvenience caused.”

The new French laws allow for a regulator, ARJEL, to issue licences for gambling operations in France as part of a more liberal approach to Internet gambling. The legislation has been passed by the Senate and the National Assembly and is currently under review by the European Commission. It will then await only the president's signature to become law, hopefully prior to the football World Cup in June 2010.