The Government presented this weekend an amendment that provides for the authorization of online casinos within the framework of the draft budget for 2025, whose examination begins on Monday in the National Assembly. “This opening arises from the adaptation of the gaming framework to that of our main European neighbors, with France, together with Cyprus, being the only country in the European Union that prohibits online casino games,” indicates the text of this amendment presented on Saturday.
“This ban has been accompanied by the development of a significant illegal supply in recent years. According to the study commissioned at the end of 2023 by the National Gaming Authority, the gross gaming product generated by the illegal offer of online gambling in France would be. between 748 million and 1,500 million euros, or between 5% and 11% of the total gaming market,” he recalls. In this way, the Government aims to “limit the impact on public health of online gaming consumers” and “control this constantly growing supply of games.”
Elimination of 15,000 jobs in physical establishments
The legalization of online casinos in France, demanded for several years by online gaming operators, is criticized by physical establishments, which advocate that this market be reserved for them. “According to our calculations, the opening of online casinos to competition will cause a drop in gross gaming revenues in physical casinos of around 20 to 30% and the closure of 30% of establishments,” warned Grégory Rabuel, president of the Casinos de France sector union and general director of the Barrière group, in an interview with Les Echos published on Monday.
“In fact, the market already exists. Therefore, legalization would not take much away from the casinos,” replies a supporter of authorization, estimating the profits for the State at 1 billion euros. The text provides for taxing online casinos with a tax of 55.6% of gross gaming revenue, that is, at the same level as the general category of online lottery games.
Source: BFM TV
