France has submitted an amendment to its 2025 budget to legalize online casino games, which is currently under debate in the National Assembly. Online gaming authorities have been pushing for this move for some time, as France, along with Cyprus, remains one of the last European countries not to regulate this lucrative market that could generate significant revenue for the state.
Despite being illegal in France, online casinos are already widely popular. According to estimates from the National Gaming Authority (ANJ), around three million people accessed these platforms in 2023 by connecting to websites hosted abroad. It also found that gross revenue from illegal gambling sites was between €748 million ($806 million) and €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion).
The ANJ added that 50% of the internet traffic from illegal online gambling comes from casino games such as roulette, craps, blackjack, baccarat, and slot machines.
The 2010 law on online gambling in France only permitted sports betting, horse racing betting, and poker. Now, the government aims to legalize online casinos to curb their illegal growth and regulate them by imposing measures to prevent addiction.
However, the main motivation may be the opportunity to tax these platforms during a time of financial crisis. The ANJ estimates that online gambling could be taxed at over 55%, potentially bringing in €800 million ($862 million) annually for France.
Casinos en ligne : "C'est totalement irréfléchi, sans aucune concertation, on ne va pas se laisser faire"@grabuel, directeur général du groupe Barrière et président du syndicat Casinos de France, au micro d'Yves Calvi dans #OnRefaitLeMonde pic.twitter.com/sTXpf6y4BJ
— RTL France (@RTLFrance) October 21, 2024
Cited by France Info, Barrière group CEO Grégory Rabuel warned that there will be fiscal and social consequences. He said: “The casino industry currently generates €1.5 billion, but we will contribute €450 million less; that’s the first fiscal consequence.”
He added: “Then, there’s a social consequence, as we estimate that within twelve months of implementing this bill, 15,000 jobs will be lost in our casinos for a simple reason: 65 out of 202 casinos would close.”
Si le marché du casino en ligne devait s’ouvrir un jour en France, cela devrait se faire exclusivement avec le concours des Casinos physiques. C'est une question de responsabilité, de sécurité et de défense des territoires. pic.twitter.com/OzFYFXAKfR
— Gregory Rabuel (@grabuel) March 4, 2024
Posting on X, Rabuel said: “If the online casino market were to open up one day in France, it would have to be done exclusively with the help of physical casinos. It is a question of responsibility, security, and the defense of local areas.”
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