UK AND FRANCE -- As reported by PC Pro: "The French have taken to online gambling like a duck a l'orange to water, according to Europe-wide figures from analysts Nielsen//NetRatings.

"February's numbers showed that more than 22 per cent of those online spent over an hour betting. This was about three times the average UK online gambler spent having a flutter. The French can also boast of nearly twice as many sessions as their UK counterparts.

"That's not to say the UK isn't committed. More than 14 per cent of online Brits gamble on the Internet - a rise of 45 per cent year on year.

"...But one French reader has pointed out that there is another factor driving online gambling in France. 'In France, the only legal betting is through state controlled channels, which are PMU (Pari Mutuel Urbain) for horse races, Lotto, National Lottery ... Casinos and gambing machines are only allowed in some towns that have a special status ... anything else is stricly illegal,' he says...