EU taking action to help Unibet against ASO

IHT.com | EU backs Unibet over Tour de France ban

Representatives of the European Union, already pursuing legal action against France for its gambling rules, said Monday the exclusion of Unibet.com from races in France or run by a French sponsor, is another violation of EU rules.

"The whole matter is violating the rules of the internal market," European Commission spokesman Oliver Drewes said Monday. "No team can be excluded from another country just because you don't like the sponsor."

ASO, which organizes the Tour de France and a number of other races, has refused to allow the Unibet.com team into its races, because French law prohibits advertising by foreign gambling companies. ASO welcomes the Lotto team, now Predictor-Lotto, which is co-sponsored by the Belgian national lottery; Française des Jeux, a French national lottery; and the Tour's green jersey competition is sponsored by PMU, the French horse-racing collective.

The EU was formed to eliminate friction across 27 European countries, including France, and the commissioners say French law in this case clearly establishes illegal barriers to trade.

Also:

FT.com / Europe | EU rides to the rescue of barred Tour cyclists