Last Saturday, the Government presented an amendment to the draft budget for 2025 that provides for the authorization of online casinos in France, the only country in the European Union along with Cyprus where they are prohibited, in order to replenish state coffers through taxes. .
A hundred mayors published an article in Le Figaro on Thursday asking the Prime Minister not to authorize online casinos through an amendment “without consultation”, estimating that this opening will lead to the disappearance of a third of French casinos and threatens 15,000 jobs in the first year.
They consider that the opening will cause a 25% drop in the activity of the rest of the casinos. “A dangerous calculation for state finances,” continue the signatories, including David Lisnard (mayor of Cannes, president of the AMF) and Philippe Sueur (mayor of Enghien-les-Bains).
The federation of Commerce and Services CGT criticized “an unprecedented social catastrophe for thousands of employees and their families” if the amendment were approved.
“In France, 196 municipalities host a casino, whose activity is governed by centuries-old legislation that manages to reconcile economic activity and support for municipal public service missions,” the forum recalls.
Mayors in favor of a safe framework
Mayors such as the CGT federation emphasize that online casino operators, often hosted outside the EU, would escape the social and fiscal limitations to which land-based casinos are subject. A “privilege” that will give them “an overwhelming advantage” worries the CGT.
However, they believe that it is “possible to create a safe framework for the opening of online casinos, which could benefit public and local finances, in particular by relying on the experience of land-based casino operators.”
“This opening arises from the adaptation of the framework of the games to that of our main European neighbors,” indicates the text of the amendment presented on Saturday.
According to a study commissioned at the end of 2023 by the National Gaming Authority, the gross gaming revenue generated by the illegal offer of online gambling in France It would be between 748 million and 1,500 million eurosThat is, between 5% and 11% of the global gaming market,” he recalls. The Government thus intends to “limit the impact on public health of online gaming consumers” and “control this supply of games that continues to grow.” “.
Around a third of French people have already played on illegal online casino sites.
A study by the CSA institute and the French Online Gaming Association shows that around a third of French people (28%) have already played on illegal online casino sites.
According to the study, more than 69% of players are unaware that online casino sites are illegal. This is explained, in particular, by the high online visibility of the advertisements on these sites. 1 in 2 French people (51%) have already been exposed to the advertising of these illegal operators.
According to this study, two thirds of French people (62%) would be in favor of legal regulation of online casino games. Among non-gamers, 90% consider that the regulation of online casino offers will not force them to play these games.
The reasons given for regulating the activity of online casinos are the following: 87% of French people believe that this would better protect pathological gamblers and minors, fight against money laundering (86%) and bring additional income to the state budget (75%). ).
Source: BFM TV
