2006: An excellent year for poker in France
In every aspect, 2006 was an exceptional year for poker in France. The game, for a long time associated with the picture of gangsters hustling in smoke-filled backrooms, became increasingly popular in our country.
2006 was the year when we saw poker's exposure in the media getting bigger and bigger. Virtually every paper in the country devoted an article to the game. Several friends from ClubPoker were invited on TV or the radio to talk about their passion. It seemed like everyone wanted to know about this weird game now played with two cards instead of five. Poker was everywhere on TV, with the broadcasting of the EPT, World Poker Tour, and the World Series of Poker getting high ratings, not to mention the French celebrity show Le Tournoi des As. The ClubPoker member base grew exponentially, and our message boards were literally invaded by newcomers on a daily basis. Friendly home games and tournaments kept spreading everywhere in the country. Amateur clubs have been springing up like mushrooms. Poker chip sets are now available in every supermarket, as are many strategy books (including a 600-page treatise on no-limit hold'em by the excellent Francois Montmirel). Quality players such as Fabrice Soulier, Anthony Lellouche, and Claude Cohen got sponsorship contracts. David Benyamine made us proud by making the transition to the highest games in the world in no time, to be quickly recognized by his peers as one of the best players in the world. Online cardrooms were launched in the French language. Two magazines were created with great results, including the French version of Card Player. The World Poker Tour stop in Paris, after a disappointing year in 2005, bounced back to its high standards last June. With 400 players, the Deauville European Poker Tour venue in February broke all records and became, according to Thomas Kremser, the players' favorite EPT event. Cardrooms in Paris were filled 24/7, and finally, after many years of waiting, French casinos were allowed to add poker to their mix of games.
And, on a personal aside, 2006 was the year when I was approached to write this monthly column, an opportunity that I was more than happy to take. I also got several jobs that enabled me to travel all over Europe and to Vegas to cover the biggest tournaments.
Indeed, a lot happened in the last 12 months. Definitely, 2006 was the year when poker became mainstream in France.
Is online poker doomed?
But the "best" was yet to come. On Nov. 30, 2006, we had our own "Black Thursday" when yet another set of laws against criminality was voted by the French Parliament. Included in those laws was a chapter about "cyber-criminality." The main target was online gambling. To make a long story short, from now on, financial transfers between French banks and foreign online gambling websites will be strictly forbidden. (This amendment is almost a word-by-word translation of the infamous Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act signed in the U.S. last September.) Also, Internet providers will have to warn their customers of the risks they incur by gambling on foreign websites.
French authorities argued that they wanted to protect their citizens from the hundreds of shady casinos controlled by the mob, which are legion on the Internet. Fair enough. But it's sad to see that all of the gambling companies will be treated the same way by this new law, legit or not. Obviously, the government did not care about poker players when signing this act. In other words, it just threw out the baby with the bath water.
If these laws go into full effect, it will affect considerably the French poker economy, basically before it has even started! The French online poker market is just in its childhood, and those kinds of measures won't help at all. An amendment that would have allowed French casinos to open online cardrooms was rejected. This leaves us poker players with no legit solution to playing our favorite game on the Internet. I also should mention that advertising gambling will now be strictly prohibited on our territory. That's more bad news, because the French poker magazines rely on it heavily.
However, let's not get too pessimistic. There's always a huge gap between voting in a law and actually enforcing it. It will take months before we witness the real effects. Also, don't forget that a presidential election is coming next spring, and all of these measures could simply go away if the administration changes. And, as I wrote two months ago, European authorities aren't very pleased with the way France handles its monopoly on gambling. All over Europe, countries (such as Italy and Great Britain) are liberalising their gambling markets, while France is taking steps backward. A decision by Brussels should be made soon, hopefully in the players' favor.
It appears that NETELLER isn't affected by this new law. So, for now, very little will change for French online poker players. Life will go on, and one can only hope that poker will keep growing in France in 2007 the same way it did last year, despite this surprising turn of events. Wait and see.
Next stop: the French Open
As you're reading this, the European poker society is getting ready for the next European Poker Tour stop in Deauville. Last year's event was a blast, but this year's should be even better, with the introduction of cash-game tables, which were lacking last year. Latest rumours predict a crowd of about 700 players. If true, this would be the biggest tournament ever held in Europe, with a prize pool of €3.5 million! 
Benjamin Gallen is a reporter for www.clubpoker.net.