French Gambler Sues Government for Not Blocking Poker Sites

A French gambling addict is suing the government for 100,000 euros ($133,000) because it failed to prevent him from accessing online poker sites, his lawyer said on Monday.

The 37-year-old from the city of Reims registered with the interior ministry last year to be voluntarily banned from casinos and online gambling sites, but was still able to access them, lawyer Emmanuel Ludot told Agence France Presse.

"It's all well and good to moralize about online games but we all know that they rely on the addiction and sickness of players," Ludot said.

He said the ministry registered the man, whose identity was not released, under the wrong address when he asked to be banned, "which allowed him to continue playing".

The interior ministry refused to comment on the case because legal proceedings were under way.

Under French law gambling addicts can register with the ministry to be banned from casinos and from being allowed access to Internet gambling sites, which must consult the ban list before allowing players to sign up.

There are currently about 36,000 people registered on the list.