Market growth continues as pressure mounts for online casino reform. By Eugene Gerden
Despite remaining one of only two EU countries to prohibit online casino gaming, France's gambling market continues to post solid growth, fuelled by online lotteries, sports betting and renewed investment in the land-based casino sector.
In 2025, France's gambling industry recorded a 3% increase in gross gaming revenue (GGR), driven primarily by strong growth in online lottery products and sports betting.
According to figures published by the French National Gaming Authority (ANJ), the sector generated €14.1 billion in GGR during 2025, placing France alongside the UK and Italy among Europe's largest regulated gambling markets. The online segment accounted for 18.5% of total market revenue, compared with around 12% in 2024.
Land-based casinos generated €2.8 billion in revenue, an increase of 3.4%, while recording 31.6 million visits, up 2% year-on-year.
The industry's positive performance has continued into 2026, with many stakeholders hoping the government will revisit the long-debated issue of regulating online casino gaming.
France remains, alongside Cyprus, the only European Union member state without a regulated online casino market. As a result, illegal online gambling continues to flourish, with industry experts and policymakers warning that a substantial share of French online casino activity has migrated to unlicensed offshore operators.
According to a study commissioned by the ANJ, the illegal online gambling market in France generates between €748 million and €1.5 billion in gross gaming revenue annually, representing between 5% and 11% of the country's overall gambling market. The study also estimates that around three million people in France regularly use unlicensed online casino websites.
Despite these figures, proposals to legalise online casinos continue to face strong opposition from land-based casino operators, who argue that such a move would significantly reduce their revenues and threaten the viability of many existing establishments.
Grégory Rabuel, President of Casinos de France and CEO of the Barrière Group, has repeatedly warned that opening the online casino market could reduce land-based casino GGR by between 20% and 30%, leading to the closure of around one-third of French casinos.
"There will be catastrophic consequences, particularly social ones: it is estimated that 15,000 jobs will be lost. More broadly, this amounts to signing the death warrant for land-based casinos," he warned.
Independent analysts, however, take a different view. They argue that a regulated online casino market would have only a limited impact on land-based operators while generating substantial additional tax revenues for the state. Estimates suggest that legalisation could deliver around €1 billion in additional annual public revenue.
Under previous legislative proposals, online casino operators would be taxed at 55.6% of gross gaming revenue, matching the tax rate currently applied to online lottery products.
While online casino gaming remains prohibited, France's land-based casino sector continues to expand through investment in new developments.
One recent example is the Cogit Group, France's fifth-largest casino operator, which has announced plans to invest €39 million in the construction of a new casino in Le Lion-d'Angers. The project will become the largest casino in the group's portfolio. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the venue scheduled to open in 2029 under a 20-year public service delegation agreement.
Meanwhile, French regulators continue to focus on strengthening the country's gambling framework. The ANJ has identified 2026 as an important year for further regulatory reforms aimed at promoting safer gambling while encouraging a more sustainable and socially responsible gambling environment.
This was recently reaffirmed by Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of the ANJ, who stated that "it is essential to continue the shift towards a less intensive gambling model and to propose adjustments to the current regulatory framework in order to lower the temperature of gambling."
Particular attention will be paid to younger adults following recent surveys showing increased gambling participation among this demographic, a trend that regulators partly attribute to the growing intensity of gambling advertising. The ANJ has indicated that protecting younger consumers and encouraging more responsible gambling behaviour will remain among its principal regulatory priorities over the coming years
