The Minister of Budget, Laurent Saint-Martin, indicated this Sunday, October 27 on Radio J that the government had withdrawn the amendment to the 2025 budget project that planned to pave the way for the authorization of online casinos in France, which had made the sector react a lot. in the last few days.
“There was talk that the government would present an amendment. This is no longer the case. I think we must first work among ourselves,” said the minister.
The amendment presented last Saturday by the Government plans to authorize on-demand online casinos in France, the only country in the European Union along with Cyprus where this form of gambling is prohibited, while fixing its level of taxation.
“I am very attentive to this issue. We must not make mistakes. This should not penalize a certain number of players, in particular physical casinos,” said the minister.
“I think we need consultations. We need to sit around the table with the ministers concerned,” he continued. “I do not want the Government to present any amendments until now, until a broad consultation is carried out with the ministers concerned,” he repeated.
Physical casinos warn of “catastrophic consequences”
The possibility of legalization of online casinos, demanded by long-standing online gambling operators, had provoked a strong reaction from physical casinos, which had warned of the “catastrophic consequences” for employment and their activity.
More than a hundred mayors also signed a forum to ask the government to change course, estimating that the opening of online casinos “will lead to the disappearance of a third of French casinos”, “threatening 15,000 jobs on the first year and a 25% drop in activity in the remaining casinos.”
The Addiction Federation also sounded the alarm: online casinos are considered one of the most addictive games. Asked about the postponement of this measure until next year, the minister responded: “we’ll see.”
“If it is legalized, it is regulated, it is to tax it, to control it and to try (…) to protect itself from addictive phenomena. But be careful, there is an industry behind it, there are jobs, there are cities. “They make a living with it,” he explained.
“We are relieved”
The organization that represents casinos, Casinos de France, welcomed this decision in a press release this Sunday.
“We are relieved that the government has listened to our concerns,” said Grégory Rabuel, president of Casinos de France, adding that they will remain “vigilant to ensure that the commitment made by the Budget Minister is respected: any future legislative developments or the possible regulatory framework must be part of a framework of consultation and constructive dialogue.
The French Online Gaming Association (AFJEL), which “takes note” of this decision, asks the government “not to postpone the debate on the regulation of online casino games to a distant horizon again.”
“We must imagine a solution collectively, which would allow all protagonists (land-based casinos, licensed operators, elected officials, etc.) to build a win-win model, while guaranteeing better protection for players and providing new taxes. e social income for the community,” they say in a statement.
Source: BFM TV
