France looks to authorise online casinos

It is one of only two EU countries that still bans this. Physical casinos warn of ‘catastrophic consequences’ of legalisation

The French government is considering authorising online casinos, in a move that casinos claim would have “catastrophic consequences” – despite France being one of only two EU countries to ban them.

The government has tabled an amendment to authorise online casinos as part of the draft 2025 budget, which began examination by the Assemblée nationale on Monday, October 21.

The amendment states: “This move is part of a drive to bring the gaming framework into line with that of our main European neighbours, given that France, along with Cyprus, is the only country in the European Union to ban online casino games.”

Online gambling operators have been calling for the legalisation of online casinos in France for years, but physical casino managers have consistently spoken out against the idea.

Read also: History of casinos in France: How Napoleon started a gambling boom 

Crackdown on illegal online casinos?

Proponents of the idea say that legalising online casinos will staunch the spread of illegal offers, which have grown significantly in recent years, French national gaming authority l’Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) has said.

Similarly, the government has said that legalising the practice will enable more legislation designed to “limit the impact of online gambling on public health” and “control this ever-growing supply of games”.

The amendment provides for this, adding: “This authorisation must be accompanied by specific regulation…in conjunction with the l’Autorité nationale des jeux and all the relevant authorities concerned.”

The gross gaming revenue generated by illegal online gambling in France is estimated at between €748 million to €1.5 billion, found an ANJ study from the end of 2023. This equates to between 5% and 11% of the overall gambling market, it said.

In contrast, estimates suggest that legalising online casinos – and taxing them at 55.6% of gross gaming revenue (the same level as online lottery games) – would raise up to €1 billion for the state.

Physical casinos: ‘Signing the death warrant’

Despite these proposed benefits, physical casinos themselves have long been critical of the move. They say that the casino space should be reserved exclusively for them, and that authorising online casinos will result in a “catastrophic” loss in revenue and jobs.

“According to our calculations, opening up online casinos will lead to a fall in gross gaming revenue for land-based casinos of between 20% and 30%, and the closure of 30% of establishments,” said Grégory Rabuel, chairman of the Casinos de France industry association and chief executive of the French casino and hotel group Barrière, in an interview with Les Echos, on October 21.

“There will be catastrophic consequences, particularly in social terms,” he said. “It is estimated that 15,000 jobs will be lost. On a broader level, it will be tantamount to signing the death warrant for land-based casinos.”