Bwin heads face probe

18.09.2006

Bwin heads face probe

PARIS/VIENNA (Reuters) - The two heads of Austrian betting firm bwin.com, arrested in France on Friday, are scheduled to appear before a judge near Paris on Monday afternoon, the company said.

Bwin's joint chief executives, Manfred Bodner and Norbert Teufelberger were detained for questioning by French authorities on Friday over alleged breaches of French gaming laws and were held in custody over the weekend.

"They will appear in front of a examining magistrate in the late afternoon," bwin said in a statement.

A justice source said the two men were expected to be placed under formal investigation -- the next formal step ahead of a possible trial.

The case, triggered by a complaint by French gambling company Francaise des Jeux, comes amid attempts by online operators to break national betting monopolies in Europe.

Gambling is a state monopoly in France and online betting firms are banned from seeking clients on French territory.

Bwin, which is shirt sponsor of French soccer club AS Monaco and which has sponsorship deals with several other French clubs, said on Friday that it had not violated European laws and considered itself in the right.

Monaco said at the weekend it would maintain its sponsorship arrangements with the Austrian company.

reuters.co.uk