Source :
Nous remercions vivement la sous direction qui nous a fourni toutes les informations de ce dossier.

NB : les données datent de mai 2001.

Presentation

 

The "Sous-Direction des Courses et des Jeux of the Direction Centrale des Renseignements Généraux" (D.C.R.G) has a staff of 75 specialist police officers working in the "Renseignements Généraux" network both in the provinces and in Paris and its suburbs.

It trains and maintains a network of 170 correspondents and local officers who, as well as carrying our their intelligence role, also make investigations and assure a presence in casinos, gaming establishments and racecourses.

The Sous Direction works in close liaison with other services.

It has a leading investigative role, as it examines cases that casinos submit to the Commission supérieure des jeux, in addition to vetting managers, employees, equipment and premises.

In this context, it has daily exchanges with the Direction des Libertés Publiques et des Affaires Juridiques (D.L.P.A.J) in order to state legal policy in these matters.

Its role as "technical consultant", enables it to contribute to the drafting of circulars, memos and laws related to gambling.

It also deals with vetting questions emanating from the Ministry of Agriculture, horse racing organisations, "France Galop" and "Le Cheval Français" (with more than 4 000 enquiries a year) and the Pari Mutuel (PMU Betting society).

When the rules are not respected, and breaches of the legislation concerning gaming are observed, the Legal Section of the Sub Department takes action on its initiative for flagrante delicto or to carry out a preliminary investigation or as rogatory commission, under the control of magistrates. Sometimes it acts in collaboration with the various departments of the Poice or the national Gendarmerie. In cetainspecific fields it may undertake joint actions with the Central Department of the Legal Police (DCPJ) or the national Department of Customs Research and Investigations (DNRED).

 

History of the Sous-Direction des courses et jeux

It is essential for the state to strictly control those places where gambling is legal and also to crack down on unlawful ones.

The Sous-Direction des courses et des jeux is the oldest competent, nation-wide specialised Police Department, as it first appeared in 1892 under the name: "Service du contrôle du Pari Mutuel".

Its creation is an indirect consequence of the vote by French Parliament of the law of 2nd June 1881, which was put into places to oversee the authorisation and the running of horse-racing in order to fight against unlawful beting practices and illegal bookmakers.

This service was later put under the authority of Celestin HENNION, Senior Officer of the Renseignements Généraux and right-hand man of CLEMENCEAU, who subsequently became Préfet de police. He undertook the task if enforcing the law on gambling in casinos.

From 1932 to 1946, the Service du Contrôle du Pari Mutuel successively came under the authority of the Police Judiciaire; then under the Police Administrative et Générale.

On 6th June 1946, this department became part of the Direction des Renseignements Généraux under the name of "Courses et Jeux".

Finally, by ministerial order on 1st August 1973, it became the Sous direction des courses et des Jeux . Its role within the Direction Centrale des Renseignements Généraux was redefined trough the order 95-94 of 16 January 1995.

 

Role of the sous-direction des courses et jeux

The main aim of the Sous Direction des Courses et des Jeux is to ensure that the laws are duly enforced and that government policy with respect to gambles and gambling is respected .

Casinos are under the control of the Home Office, or more specifically the Sous Direction des Courses et des Jeux . Article 93 of the ministerial order of 23rd December 1959 stipulates that "the Head of the Service Central des Courses et des Jeux is in charge of policing gambling practices, and fixes its own parameters.

The officers in charge of this policing are thereby duly entitled to ensure that correct and safe procedures are respected.

As far as horse-racing is concerned, its is mainly policed by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In addition, the Police Nationale surveys the races and the Pari Mutuel (order of 5th May 1997), and the Sous Direction also vets the people involved.

The Sous-Direction des Courses et des Jeux has three main functions:

- to inform,which has always been the traditional role of the Direction Centrale des Renseignements généraux, the service to which ist belongs;
- to prevent fraud, by permanently controlling and enforcing the law in casinos, clubs and on racecourses;
- to suppress breaches in the Criminal Law, known as "Games, Betting and Lotteries".

 

The surveillance of casinos and clubs section

The surveillance of Casinos and Clubs Section fulfils its preventive and information role by:

- vetting casino staff (director, board members, employees), and checking on certain customers banned by voluntarily or by order from casinos and clubs;
- enforcing the correct and safe procedures provided for in the rules on gambling (article 92 and 93 of the order of 23 December 1959);
- keeping a permanent presence in the field in order to get a better insight into these circles, to highlight necessary new changes in rules and legislation, and to detect suspicious behaviour.

 

The "legal" studies and control section

This section studies and spread "the jurisprudence and the doctrine" of the sous-direction.

It conducts invastigations into renewal of gaming authorization, opening and extension. It also controls the 13 700 slots in activity and ensure the contact with the companies which provide and service the machines called SFM ("société de fournitures et de maintenance").

La section agrée les nouveaux matériels et propose les évolutions réglementaires souhaitables.

Enfin, la section audit et études juridiques effectue les contrôles techniques et financiers des casinos, périodiquement ou lorsque la surveillance a détecté des dysfonctionnements.

 

The training data section

This section has a good national and international reputation thanks to its know-how and experience in the gambling field.

During the previous years, many training courses were put into place for foreign VIP's, magistrates," deputy-prefects" and high-raking police officers.

This section has the infrasructure required for training officers and superintendents assigned to Paris and organizes proficiency training courses for local correspondents. Its expertise is regulary sought in the field, notably in relation to control of gaming machine halls.

 

The "legal" section

It has nation-wide competence to deal with gambling offences and can investigate offenders trough the normal procedures of criminal enquiries (preliminary, in the act, rogatory commission).
Its scope of activity is defined by the modified law of 21st May 1836 prohibiting lotteries and the modified law of 12th July 1983 on gambling (gambling rooms and slot machines).
In addition, there are the rules on racing offences ( illegal betting, selling racing tips, horse doping…) and other ordinary offences committed in the gambling world (theft, swindling…)
The D.C.R.G has a dense local network giving it access to a great of information enabling it to initiate proceedings? However, it is more common for prosecutors and examining judges to approach and inform the Legal Section. As the Legal Section also has close connections with La Française des Jeux and the Pari Mutuel, it receives and handles many complaints from these organisations from victims of embezzlement.

 

The international role

In keeping with other areas of policing, there is close cooperation with our European partners in the field.
The sous direction des Courses et des Jeux finds itself in an unusual position, however, as France is the only country in Europe to put the control of gambling under the authority of a police force.
The European Commission regulary reviews the "French exception" and the French State Monopoly on gambling. This "exception" concerns all members state. The Commission would like to attribute gambling to a normal service industry, open to competition, but the specific national rules involved have so far hindered this project.
Outside Europe, the Sous Direction des Courses et des Jeux takes an active interest in investments carried out by French citizens in such areas as lotteries, betting, and French casinos.
It also strives to identify the "big" foreign gambers in France, as well as establishments abroad where the "big" French gambers are invited, often through "casino charter trips".

The Sous Direction also takes part in many gambling control missions or information share, in France and other countries, in association with the Service of International Technical Cooperation of Police (SCTIP).