Group Hacks into French Euromillions Lottery Site

It appears gambling has not been universally welcomed by citizens of France.  A group called the “Moroccanghost” hacked into the French Euromillions site, insisted people quit gambling, and called any form of gambling “the work of the devil.” The reportedly Islam group is believed to have taken such drastic action because their religion does not support gambling on games of chance or the consumption of alcohol.

The Islam religion has strong anti-gambling views, considering any form of betting on chance illegal.  It is because of this that few casinos exist in the Middle East, chiefly out of Egypt and Lebanon which are usually occupied by tourists.  Israel is also home to four casinos, but does not share the anti-gambling attitude so strongly imposed by some of its neighbours.

A crackdown on gambling within the Middle East has been underway for some time.  In Malaysia 12 Muslim men were arrested when they indulged themselves in gaming outlets.  Malaysia allows non-Muslim tourists to fully use its casinos, but considers it illegal for Muslim citizens to gamble.  The men could face up to two years in jail if convicted for their charges.

France is home to the largest Islam population in Western Europe, and the hacking of the site is believed to be the first to occur outside of the Middle East.  The operators of France’s Euromillions site, the Francaise des Jeux (FDJ) says none of its other sites were affected by the hacking, and that the messages were removed by Sunday evening.  The FDJ says assurances have been made that none of the data or any of the games on the site have been compromised, and the specific pages were “in the process of being put back up” by Monday morning.

The next Euromillions jackpot is scheduled for tomorrow, with expectations over 100 million euros will be up for grabs.