France May Legalize 1.5 Billion Euro Online Gambling Market in 2025

France is considering creating a new gambling law that will legalize online casinos as soon as next year. According to an official filing from the government, casino lovers may be able to enjoy online casino gambling in 2025, lifting a ban upheld by previous governments.

The plan is for France to join most other European Union member states where online casinos are legal. According to the current administration, in favor of these online platforms, France and Cyprus are currently the only members of the EU where online casinos are outlawed. An official amendment to the 2025 budget has already been submitted, with debates expected to begin on Monday.

Legislation in support of online casinos would contribute to the iGaming industry in the country. While online betting is not illegal, casino gambling is outlawed. The only exception to the law against online casino gaming is Poker because it requires more skill than luck. 

A reversal of this law could improve the gambling landscape, offering players more flexibility as physically visiting a land-based casino would be optional. This flexibility could open doors to a healthy crypto-gambling culture in France, similar to other countries like Australia. As Nikita Jones states, some of the best Bitcoin casinos in Australia offer quick deposits and withdrawals using popular cryptocurrencies. These casinos also offer enhanced security and unmatched transparency, which are perks that French players can also get to enjoy next year.

Unfortunately, brick-and-mortar casinos are strongly against the legalization. These casinos are already fighting the proposed law, complaining that they will lose a considerable amount of their turnover, in addition to a high risk of job loss due to competition from online platforms. The casino association has described the potential impact on their business as “catastrophic,” noting that they could lose up to 30% of their gross revenues. 

According to the head of the association, Gregory Rabuel, speaking to French media platform Les Echos, legalizing online casino gambling could cause 30% of land establishments to shut down, and lead to 15,000 jobs lost. Rabuel said 65 of 202 casinos would close. 

On the other hand, enthusiasts believe that legalization will not exactly impact land casinos negatively. These proponents believe that since a strong online casino market already exists, legalizing the market would not be detrimental to brick-and-mortar establishments. 

The French government is aware that online casinos operating in France have already grown significantly in size. Last December, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) asked France to consider legalizing online casinos. The association cited a study conducted by the French Gaming Authority, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), which found that the online market already generates annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) of up to 1.5 billion euros. France now hopes that it can generate income from the sector by taxing gross revenues at 55.6%.

According to the ANJ, there was an increase in the sports betting handle in the first half of 2024. In H1, bettors wagered a total of €5.2 billion ($5.64 billion) a 24% increase compared to the first half of last year. In addition, GGR climbed 16% to €871 million ($944.34 million).