Legal Clarity Predicted by Online Casino Chief

Norbert Teufelberger, Co-Chief Executive Officer for Austria's Bwin Interactive Entertainment, announced his optimism growing on the liberalization within the European Union, which includes France, and legal certainty in the business is expected to be achieved by next spring.

Teufelberger states that an increase in liberalization could begin in the $4.4 billion market of online gaming in Europe, if France, being a major nation were to take the lead in opening its market to Internet gambling, to other European Union nations.

'There are many signals,' said Teufelberger.

'Who would have thought six months ago that France would move politically? There is movement now.

"We hope that we will have more clarity in a few months. There won't be a solution yet but I think one can have a feeling for the direction this is going to take."

Bwin and other Internet betting groups are looking to agree on a deal with European countries, which state that monopolies for lotteries would stay, but gambling would be open to commercial operators.

"The UK already has a solution. Our goal is to find one in one or several major countries. If that's going to happen, there will be a landslide," said Teufelberger.