French Gambling Monopoly’s Turnover Drops 

The Francaise Des Jeux gambling monopoly has revealed a 1.8 percent drop in annual turnover, the first such fall for 15 years, for 2007.

Christophe Blanchard-Dignac, the monopoly’s Chief Executive, hinted at his ambitions in a liberalised French online market and stated that Francaise Des Jeux is to broaden its product range and create a multimedia arm to develop interactive games in anticipation of the likely opening of the market.

Francaise Des Jeux has been the antagonist behind several French legal actions brought against executives from companies based in other European Union member countries. The company, which is 72 percent owned by the Government, turns over tens of millions of dollars every year and employs almost 900 people. Other shareholders include lottery issuers with 20 percent, agents with three percent and employees with five percent.