Bets are on for French Open

2008-04-29 17:44

Brussels - Major online gambling companies successfully fended off a legal challenge from French Open organisers who wanted to stop them from offering bets on their Grand Slam tournament.

A Liege court ruled on Tuesday that betting companies like bwin did not violate the rights of the French tennis federation by offering such bets on Roland Garros matches.

The federation had said that online betting stained the reputation of the clay-court championship, especially in the wake of internet gambling scandals.

The French federation sued three companies in Liege - Betfair, bwin and Ladbrokes - with a court injunction to stop them from taking bets on the French Open.

In a statement, the European Gaming & Betting Association said the court had concluded "these operators had behaved in a prudent and diligent manner."

"EU-licensed bookmakers are professionals that have a high level of expertise, know-how and risk management skills. This has been clearly recognised by the Belgian judge looking at the fact-based evidence to dismiss all the claims in this case," said EGBA Secretary General Sigrid Ligne.

It was still unclear what action, if any, the French tennis federation would take. It said the betting companies were unfairly using the tournament as a way of making money.

They claimed that if a match-fixing scandal hit the French Open, it would undermine the value of the tournament, which had 2007 revenues of $184m and attracted 450 000 fans to Roland Garros and a potential 3 billion viewers worldwide.

- AP