For the second time in a few months a major French poker tournament has been devastated by the activity of the French gaming authorities, who are aggressively protecting their state monopoly. Earlier this year the European Poker Tour had to call its the French Open in Deauville as what was described as a “last minute intervention by the French authorities.”

Despite receiving a formal letter from the European Commission following the arrest of two Bwin executives in September last year, warning the French authorities that their protectionist stance towards the online gaming industry infringed on European Union rules, the gaming authorities continue to be bullish in their approach.

According to the WPT their decision to pull out of the Grand Prix de Paris was due to a refusal by French authorities to provide permission for the filming.

The Grand Prix De Paris has been part of the World Poker Tour schedule since its inception in 2001.