France’s gambling regulator has taken the unusual step of issuing a public warning against the use of two online gaming websites that offer cryptocurrency payments.
The National Gaming Authority (ANJ) made the announcement after securing a court order requiring French internet service providers to block access to the sites.
The regulator named cbet.gg and stake.com as two particularly popular cryptocurrency gambling websites that serve players in France without a local license and in breach of regulations prohibiting the use of cryptocurrencies for gambling.
“The use of cryptocurrency is prohibited on the sites of authorized operators who are required to fight against fraud, money laundering and the financing of terrorism,” said the French regulator. “The ANJ wishes to draw the public’s attention to the dangerousness of these illegal sites, which have particularly high audiences. This is why we decided, for the first time, to announce these judgments.”
According to the ANJ, the two sites attracted somewhere in the region of 560,000 visits from players in France during the month of June.
The judicial tribunal of Paris issued a judgment on July 13, ordering the main French internet service providers to block access to the sites.