Why are notaries and other legal professions in France not banned from casinos?

Legislative and Regulatory Context

In many countries, including France and Switzerland, there is no specific legislation prohibiting notaries and other legal professions from participating in casino games, which is not the case in Belgium where a law actually exists. This lack of restriction may seem surprising given the sensitive and ethically charged nature of their professions, but it can be explained by several historical, cultural, and regulatory factors.

The Situation in France

In France, legal professions such as notaries, lawyers, and judges are governed by strict codes of ethics that require them to act with integrity and impartiality. However, these codes do not specify a direct prohibition regarding gaming activities. The absence of such specific restrictions could be interpreted as an acknowledgment of the professionals’ ability to maintain their integrity without requiring explicit regulation regarding gambling.

The Situation in Switzerland

Similarly, in Switzerland, there is no law specifically prohibiting notaries from playing at the casino. Like in France, Swiss notaries are required to uphold principles of probity and fidelity in their professional practice, but their personal activities, including gambling, remain their own responsibility as long as they do not impair their profession.

Ethical and Cultural Considerations

The decision not to impose formal prohibitions may also be influenced by cultural considerations. In many European contexts, casino gaming is seen as an acceptable leisure activity for responsible adults. The regulatory approach tends to favor individual responsibility over categorical prohibitions, trusting professionals to navigate these ethical norms.

Role of the Media and Misinformation about a Pseudo-Prohibition on Playing at the Casino

Many articles available on the Internet may not be based on solid legal foundations and could be the product of generalizations or incorrect extrapolations. This is often exacerbated by AI models that, while useful, largely operate by approximation and aggregation of large data sets, without the ability to verify the legal accuracy of individual facts.

Influence of Modern Technologies and AIs like ChatGPT

It is also interesting to consider the impact of modern technologies and artificial intelligence on the dissemination of information regarding these issues. Platforms like ChatGPT, which generate content based on extensive training on publicly available data, can sometimes propagate information that is not legally verified. This can create a misleading perception that certain professions are subject to restrictions that they are not in reality.
In our case, regarding the beliefs about a prohibition for notaries in France to play at the casino, we can assume that this fake news comes from multiple iterations of articles without verification, to the point of even misleading content generators like ChatGPT, which only use web content for training, a rather unfortunate situation for writers needing assistance from artificial intelligence that isn’t that intelligent after all.

The Final Word.

The variability of regulations regarding gaming activities for notaries and other legal professions illustrates the diversity of legal and cultural approaches across different countries. While France and Switzerland do not impose explicit restrictions for these professions, they rely on the principles of ethics and personal responsibility. This strategy suggests a trust in professionals' capacity to manage their behavior outside the professional framework without the intervention of prohibitive rules.

The spread of inaccurate or unverified information, notably through AI tools like ChatGPT, highlights the importance of fact-checking and consulting primary legal sources. For readers and users of online information, it becomes crucial to adopt a critical approach, questioning and verifying the accuracy of data before accepting it as true. This approach is essential to ensure that public perceptions remain aligned with legal and professional reality.