Details of the bill on opening the Internet gambling market to competition in France were disclosed by Minister of Finance Eric Woerth.  

The bill concerns horse racing, sports betting and for casino games, only poker has been retained since roulette games, blackjack and slots have been put aside, the reason being that these are considered too addictive, according to a report in French trade publication Journal des Casinos.  

According to the story, the online gambling market should be legalized in January 2010. The percentage of tax deduction will be around 7.5 percent on sports and horse racing bets and 2 percent on poker bets. As for the redistribution rate, it should be around 80 and 85 percent.  

Woerth said that illegal gambling sites will be targeted by the measure. Illegal sites won’t be able to advertise and illegal gambling on the Internet will be liable to 3 years imprisonment and a 45,000 euro penalty, 7 years and 100,000 euros if a group is involved.  

The bill has just been submitted to the Council of State, which has one month to deliberate.