by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Dec 13, 2011 | Updated on Dec 13, 2011In a very interesting story out of France, a citizen there is suing the government for not restricting him from playing online poker. The unnamed subject is suing for about $132,000 and as crazy as it sounds, he may actually win.The problem gambler at the focus of this story was registered as a self-proclaimed addict to online gambling. In France, once you register that with the local government, they are then supposed to ban you from having any sort of access to any gambling sites. But according to this man’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot, his client was still able to access the sites like he always had. The origin of this problem is in the fact that when Ludot’s client did register, the regulating body placed him on the ban list under the wrong address, and this mistake allowed continued access to any site.The French Government has not spoken about the issue as of yet because they are still trying to figure everything out. This French law that is able to help addicts help themselves is a great way to reduce gambling addiction, but if the system is being misused it will do nothing to make the problem of gambling addiction any better. To date, France has about 36,000 people on the list, and that number continues to grow. Gambling is a problem just about anywhere in the world, from France, to the US, to Asia and everywhere in between. This means that all of these places have or are going to have proper ways for players to get help for their addiction, before it is too late and they have gone completely broke.I personally feel bad for this player because he tried to help himself, and in the end his addiction was aided, not quelled. This better be a wake up call for the French Government and how they handle situations like this. Gambling addiction should not be taken lightly under any circumstances.
