Legal Changes - High Tax Rate
In the beginning of this month we informed you about the change in the legal treatment of online gambling and poker that was taking place in France. Many gambling operators complained about the strict rules and high tax burden, and betting provider William Hill even withdrew from the French market.  

Poker Licenses - PokerStars.fr
Besides online casino operators, online poker rooms have also entered the French market by way of the new rules and regulations. Popular poker room PokerStars purchased one of the French poker licenses and as the French law dictated, created PokerStars.fr which is exclusively open to French poker players.

Higher Taxes - Higher Rakes
With the new regulations French players could finally play legal poker, yet this benefit soon got overshadowed by a big raise in cash game rakes. Instead of taking the pain of higher taxes and pricy licenses, PokerStars passed the bill onto the French poker players and raised the cash game rakes to 7.7%.

Sitting Out - a Statement
The French poker players initiated a grand boycott against PokerStars.fr in a unique and original way. Instead of not playing at the site, players en masse go on 'sit out' at the cash tables. As a result of this the tables at PokerStars.fr are often filled with players on 'sit out', making a statement against the high rake percentage.