French poker tax change welcome, ChiliPoker boss says
The boss of top French poker brand Chili has expressed relief at the French government's decision not to go ahead with online poker tax plans that would have seen it tax player stakes at 2%.
The boss of top French poker brand ChiliPoker has expressed relief at the French government’s decision not to go ahead with online poker tax plans that would have seen it tax player stakes at 2%.
Last week French authorities changed the taxation set up on online poker from 2% of player stakes to 2% of the pots, capped at 1. The industry had repeatedly called for the French government to change its plans, arguing that proposed regulation would make legal poker sites uncompetitive .
Speaking to EGRmagazine.com, ChiliPoker chief executive Alexandre Dreyfus expressed his relief, and that of the France-focused online poker industry’s, at the government decision.
“We are all very glad that we were consulted by the French government and that our views were taken seriously. Although the set up is not ideal – we want to be able to offer French players the possibility to play against players from other countries, especially for tournament games – the hope is that legislation will evolve with time,” Dreyfus said.
It is estimated that the French government’s total tax take will be around 30% of all the pots generated by operators. The revised system will allow online poker operators to offer a more competitive environment to customers and grow the game in France.
In other French news recently, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) described the French government’s plan to make operators pay sport federations for the right to offer markets on their events as “highly problematic”.
France is intent on introducing the sports betting right as part of the draft gambling regulation France plans to implement next year in order to “preserve the integrity of sports”.