Canal Plus and Ladbrokes give up on online JV

Pay TV operator Canal Plus and Ladbrokes are pulling out of the online gaming market in France and dissolving the joint venture they formed earlier this year, according to local reports.

Gary McIlraith, director of digital, international and strategy at Ladbrokes, said that the pair had concluded that the French market for online gaming was too highly taxed to make the venture worthwhile.

Canal Plus and Ladbrokes formed their joint venture in April and obtained a gaming licence in July. Canal Plus has also suspended its partnership with PartyGaming to launch an online poker site, according to reports.